Revival of the Uzumaki Clan
by Rune71
Summary: Naruto's village isn't the same—his precious people aren't there anymore. So, it's time to get some more, and that takes time. Time travel, and this time things are going to be different.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 _I'm leaving, Sasuke. I have to. The Leaf isn't what I remember it to be, with Granny still in a coma and so few of my precious people left. And you. You're always away from the village, the only person that really understood me, and I'm beginning to think that you had the right idea all along. The village will be in safe hands with Kakashi-sensei as Hokage, and by the time he retires Konohamaru will be old enough and experienced enough to take up the mantle._

 _I've decided to adopt your second ultimate goal: the revival of my clan. Until recently, I wasn't aware that the Uzumaki were an actual clan, but now that I do know I want to learn everything I can about them. So, I've decided to travel, like the Pervy-Sage, and go to the ruins of Uzushiogakure and the surrounding lands and ask about my clan, in hopes that I will be able to at least learn of and preserve the culture._

 _I'm sending this note to you because I know that you of all people I can trust not to follow me and convince me to go back; I am not advertising my imminent departure._

 _Naruto_

Sasuke read the short letter, no small amount of amusement present in his expression.

"So the dobe finally did it, huh?" he mused aloud to himself. He smirked, a palpable air of smugness surrounding him. "Knew he'd do it eventually, the mess the village is in now."

And indeed, the Hidden Leaf Village was in a bit of a mess, especially from how Naruto would have wanted it to be. Almost all of their graduating class of genin were away, or dead, or incapacitated in some way, shape, or form. Jiraiya was dead. Asuma was dead. Kakashi was Hokage, and like the Third before him couldn't give Naruto much more time that the occasional checkup. He'd heard something awful had happened with Sakura and Naruto just before the war really started and that they'd been cool towards each other since. Tsunade had been taxed to her absolute limit during the war and had fallen into a coma soon after. And, probably something that hurt awfully to the blonde idiot, was what had happened with Ichiraku ramen. The old man running the stand had died, just after his daughter had married Iruka, their old sensei from the Academy, who Naruto had been close to. And since Konoha apparently reminded the ramen stand man's daughter too much of her father, she moved to the land of lightning, Iruka retiring as a ninja and going with her. So, really, his family wasn't really able to give him what he wanted.

"Well, best of luck to you," he said, watching the sparks from his small campfire swirl up into the stars.

* * *

Naruto sighed, staring up at the night sky and wondering whether or not the people at home missed him, or even wondered if he was gone. He was on the roof of Tazuna's house, having run all the way to Wave Country in just two days. The first night he'd slept in the wreckage of the statues of Hashirama and Madara, remembering the history the place held, and the mark he'd made on it with Sasuke. It had been a bittersweet experience, remembering just how he'd gotten so far and how his precious people had been able to help him achieve his goals.

But now he had a new goal. He sighed and rolled onto his side, moving his gaze to the spiral symbol on his pack. His clan symbol. His new goal was not one achievable by others, and anybody else traveling with him wouldn't help in the slightest. No, this was a goal he had to achieve on his own. His goal was to learn everything he could about his clan. His next stop would be Uzushiogakure, to investigate its ruins and see if he could find anything of interest there.

But first, sleep. It wouldn't do if he were exhausted on his way there. He might fall in a whirlpool.

* * *

 _Well. It's been two years. It turns out there weren't any Uzumaki there at Uzushio, but I did find a wealth of knowledge. I was walking along, not really paying attention, and scraped my knee on a rock. Stereotypical me, I guess. Anyway, it activated a blood-seal and it turned out there was a secret basement thing under just about the entire city. It was covered in reinforcement and stasis seals, so the stuff inside was old, maybe even hundreds of years. I used shadow clones to read all of them, got it done in a month. Gave me the worst headaches. But it was worth it._

 _Taijutsu, history, festivals, traditions, teaching curricula, sealing techniques, training methods, recorded bloodlines, and what was best of all: records of the people. I got to see my entire family tree – it was amazing._

 _But Sasuke – I'm leaving. For good. For real. For forever. There was this one seal – an immensely complex space-time jutsu. It sends you through time, Sasuke. As you're reading this, I'm probably already gone. But I want to fix things. I've adjusted the seal so that it comes out a few years after we're born. So you all will be fine. I'll just be trying to make at least one world a better place. You understand, don't you?_

 _Well. I guess we'll meet again in death, right?_

 _Naruto_

"And he didn't invite me to go with him." A swish of a cloak and a small smile marked the passage of the ninja through the forest. "Usuratonkachi."

* * *

"Ugh." Naruto sad up, groaning, and put his hand to his forehead. Say what he would, that seal was a monster. It had taken more chakra than any other one jutsu he'd ever performed. He'd even been in sage-bijuu mode, and he'd landed completely exhausted of even the massive chakra stores that state afforded him. He definitely had some sort of chakra exhaustion – he'd only felt like this a few times before – after summoning Gamabunta for the first time, after beating Gaara, after developing the rasenshuriken, after fighting Sasuke at the valley of the end – both times – and while fighting the unholy alliance of Obito, Madara, the Juubi and Kaguya.

He sat up painfully. Time to sort out priorities. First thing: find a place to rest and recover; going to talk to Nagato while weakened so badly wasn't a smart decision. So. He had to get up and use all of his skills to find a place to stay for a couple days. He looked down at himself, checking that first, nothing was broken; and second, he was properly attired in the clothes he'd found in Uzushiogakure while studying there. It all looked good – the blue, brown, and gold complemented each other surprisingly well.

He tugged a lock of hair in front of his eyes, checking the color – good, a bright red, thanks to a special permanent bijuu-chakra seal. He'd had to do _something_ about it, as there was no way he was going to let himself run around looking like an older Naruto. Which he was, but that was beside the point. Keeping his original appearance would just be asking for trouble, so he changed his hair color. And his eye color, too – well, he hadn't checked it yet, but if it had worked his eyes should be some shade of indigo.

He closed his eyes and tried to go into Sage Mode, only to pass out again.

A few moments later he awoke and laughed, not quite bitterly, but not in happiness, either. He pulled himself up, grabbing a stone next to his shoulder as a support. He wouldn't be trying to access Sage Mode again anytime soon.

"Kurama?" he murmured aloud, as anything thinking made his head hurt more, including mental conversation. He kind of heard, kind of felt the deep rumbling snore from the space where the fox resided. He frowned. "I guess that answers that."

He finally properly looked around. The stone he'd used to pull himself was actually a broken wall. The same broken wall he'd sat on about an hour earlier to eat lunch…although, if the seal had worked properly, it would actually be about fifteen years into the future…confusing.

Well. At least he knew where he was. The seal had transported him exactly into the same spot he had performed it from, just altering the time in which he existed. Well. In that case, he thought he'd most likely be able to make it to Wave if he had to. He managed a shaky step forward, leaning against the wall for support. Maybe not. He'd have to find a sheltered area, at least; fat drops of rain were started to fall and getting soaked wouldn't help his recovery at all. He trudged forward, looking around for a convenient space among the rubble in which he'd be able to rest until the storm stopped.

Because he was so exhausted and because he was looking around him instead of down, he didn't notice the small lip of stone still remaining from a doorway and tripped over it, about to face-plant into the stone walkway. And then he was caught.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Naruto froze. He allowed himself to be pushed back up and helped onto a rock in the sitting position.

"Man, you look awful. What caused this? And what's your name, anyways?" The one who'd helped him was young, probably actually younger than Naruto himself. Maybe fifteen or sixteen.

Naruto tried to speak, but his throat had gone dry; nothing came out. He closed it and cleared his throat, trying again. "Uh, chakra exhaustion. And, I'm, I'm…" Naruto searched for a suitable name. "I'm Raiden." He said finally. He'd chosen the name for two reasons. The first – it was partially to honor his father. His Hiraishin. The second was that it was a cool name, suitable storm-related like his previous name, and it sounded Uzumaki-ish.

"Cool name, mine's kind of boring. I'm Satoshi. But anyways, time to get out of the rain, yeah?" Naruto just looked at him tiredly. "Well, follow me, I guess."

The other red-head – Naruto strongly suspected he was an Uzumaki as well, given his hair and the fact he was wandering around the ruins of Uzushio – started off, and Naruto managed to heave himself up off the rock to follow him, but immediately stumbled again and braced himself up against the wall. Satoshi noticed his difficulty and came back, slinging one of Naruto's arms around his shoulders to help hold him up.

"Geez, you really did a number on yourself, what kind of technique uses up that much chakra?" Satoshi said, curiosity bleeding into every syllable. Naruto gave a strained chuckle before answering.

"I was working on a transportation seal," he said, and in a way it was true. He was just transporting himself through time, not space. "It worked, obviously, but it sapped all my chakra. I'll not be trying it again." Naruto paused and thought about his last phrase. Would he be trying it again, as he'd do it in the future? His younger, future self did it? But then since he'd landed there, and if he was going to change things, his younger self would never attempt the time-travel seal, which meant he wouldn't have been there in the first place? And then it would be a paradox? The only possible explanation was that Naruto had created a separate reality when he'd landed. At least the reality where he'd come from would be safe. At least from his meddling. Ugh, this was just giving him a headache.

"So you're really good at seals then?" Satoshi asked him. Naruto snapped out of his introspection and shook his head.

"I guess. I've experimented some. I'm just lucky I haven't killed myself on accident with them," he admitted. Satoshi laughed.

"Sure seemed like you tried your very best with this one. But seriously, you're being modest. You made up a transportation seal and used it successfully? That sounds pretty genius to me."

"My teacher was the one to create that seal," Naruto explained, even though it wasn't quite accurate. Still, he couldn't just say that one of the Uzumaki from the future created it. That would seem rather improbable and he'd like to keep the fact that he was a time-traveler under wraps for a while. "I was the one to adjust the coordinates and actually use it."

"Woah, that's way cool!" Satoshi exclaimed. "Did your teacher come with you, too?"

Naruto's expression hardened. "He's dead." And indeed, as he remembered Jiraiya, he was reminding himself that coming to the past was more than a way to meet some of his Uzumaki relatives; it was a way to save the people that meant the most to him.

"Oh." Satoshi was quiet the rest of the way to his shelter, which suited Naruto perfectly, as he was losing energy quickly and barely able to set one foot in front of the other at that point. The rain was coming down a bit harder now, and Naruto felt a cold drop slide down the back of his neck and down his shirt. He was so tired he didn't even have the strength to shiver. They were nearly at the edge of the ruins when the blackness that had been hovering at the edges of his vision finally overwhelmed him and he passed out.

* * *

There was a fire crackling when Naruto woke up next, and when he opened his eyes he saw the peaked roof of a tent. It wasn't his tent, though, and he sat up. He saw a small pile of gear in the corner of the tent, and the red shirt on top reminded him. It was most likely Satoshi's tent. Sure enough, just a few minutes later the young man entered the tent.

"Oh, you're up!" Naruto nodded and pulled a scroll from his belt, flicking it open and withdrawing a bottle of water from one of the seals inscribed. He popped the top off and chugged the entire thing before answering.

"Yep," he said, resealing the bottle into his scroll and slipping the scroll back into his belt pouch. "How long have I been asleep?" he asked, making his way out of the tent to stretch and relieve himself. Satoshi followed him out.

"Today would have been day three," he said. "I was starting to get worried you would never wake up."

Naruto laughed. "Trust me, Satoshi, I don't die easy." Satoshi still looked skeptical, but Naruto let him be. It wasn't like he hadn't faced skepticism before. "Um, do you have any food?"

"I have a couple ration bars," Satoshi answered. "I also have some fishing gear in case you want to get some fresh fish or something."

Fresh fish sounded excellent, but three days of sleeping on top of intense chakra exhaustion made food an immediate priority, and he had his own ration bars. "Never mind then." Naruto retrieved a couple bars from his scrolls and unwrapped them hastily, stuffing half of one in his mouth and barely chewing it before he swallowed. It was the best way to eat them – they didn't taste the best. And he was starving.

Less than a minute later Naruto was sitting next to the fire, the warmth of which he was using to stave off the pre-dawn chill. He closed his eyes. _'Kurama?'_ Naruto heard an annoyed snort.

 _'I'm sleeping. Or was. What do you want?'_ Naruto smiled. So he was alright, too.

 _'Just wanted to check you were alive in there, you old fox,'_ he thought.

 _'And you had to wake me up to do that? I'm going back to sleep.'_ Naruto laughed out loud that time and left his mindscape. Satoshi was looking at him weird.

"What was that all about?" Satoshi asked. He'd just seen Naruto sit down, close his eyes, and then make faces and laugh. It must have seemed rather odd to someone not used to watching him communicate with Kurama.

Naruto decided to be straight with him. "Just talking to the several-thousand-year-old demon in my head," he said blithely. Satoshi's eyes went wide.

"Oh," he said, voice a bit higher than Naruto knew it naturally was.

"Don't worry, we won't bite." Satoshi nodded slowly. "Hold on, I'm going to try something, and I wouldn't recommend touching me while I try it." Satoshi looked apprehensive, and Naruto was quick to reassure him. "I don't think anything would happen to you, but I need to be absolutely still in order for it to work." Satoshi looked relieved, and Naruto felt a bit guilty that he'd caused him distress.

But he needed to try Sage Mode again, to see if he really had lost it since he wasn't a Toad Summoner in this dimension. It meant he was no longer a Toad Sage, but he wanted to know whether or not he would still be able to harness nature chakra to use Sage Mode. So he held up his fingers in a cross and another Naruto appeared from the smoke.

"All right, boss," it said. "I'll whack you if you start looking weird. So no worries!" Naruto nodded and sat down in a meditative position, legs crossed and eyes closed. Satoshi looked utterly confused.

"What's he doing?" he asked. The clone frowned.

"He's trying to go into Sage Mode right now. We used to be able to do it, but something happened recently and we're not sure we can right now, so Boss is trying it out right now. I'm supposed to whack him if he starts – uh oh – " Satoshi saw that Naruto's cheeks were starting to bulge and the clone kicked him hard in the shin. Naruto yelped and jumped up, glaring at his clone.

"No good, Boss," the clone said, not very helpfully. "You started stretching out like one of the old toads." Naruto frowned sourly and the clone disappeared with a pop and a small cloud of smoke.

"Well then," Naruto said. "Guess I'll have to re-learn Sage Mode." Satoshi was gawking at him.

"Who _are_ you? I know you said your name was Raiden, but who _are_ you, really?" The young man looked slightly confused, slightly in awe, and slightly accusing. Naruto sighed. Time to test his backstory.

"Well, my full name is Raiden Uzumaki, if you must know. I was born here but our village was attacked soon after. I never knew my parents, the orphanage I grew up in told me my name. As soon I was big enough I left, ending up on the streets, where I learned lots of useful things. I hung out in a place with lots of missing-nin – I learned quite a bit from them, actually. When I was thirteen I met the ninja who would become my teacher, though he was more of a father figure to me. He taught me up until I was sixteen years old, and then he was killed by a former student of his." Naruto paused. It hurt to remember Jiraiya – and then remembered once again that in this world he was alive and Nagato hadn't yet become Pain. "I spent a few years working on my skills – mostly sealing – and then came here, in order to start working on my goal."

"And what goal is that?"

"To revive the Uzumaki clan."

* * *

 **A/N: So, how was that? I think it was decent, myself. Also, be prepared for irregular updates probably around once a month.**


	2. Chapter 2: Akatsuki

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

After Naruto had revealed his goal to Satoshi, the younger man had become much friendlier towards him, like how he was when he'd helped him that first day. Granted, the sidelong glances were getting old, but as Kurama hadn't yet done anything worth noting Satoshi had calmed down about it.

"So, what are you going to do first?" Satoshi asked as he watched Naruto spar one of his clones on the river's surface. Naruto grunted as he blocked a particularly strong blow from his clone and slid back a few inches. He knew exactly what he was going to do. It was what he'd been thinking about non-stop the last week.

"I'm going to visit Ame."

"Um, aren't they in the middle of a civil war right now?"

"And?"

"Oh, right, I forgot, you 'don't die'." Satoshi shook his head. "I'm being serious right now, Raiden. Ame is in the middle of a _civil war_. Did you miss the part where I said _war_?"

"I heard you," Naruto grunted. "And I'm being serious as well when I say it's nearly impossible to kill me. You've seen barely a fraction of what I can do. Don't underestimate me. Now that I'm fully recovered, I could take on a full army."

Satoshi let out a choked laugh. "An army? There's no way. I don't believe it. Maybe a squad, but there's no way you can take an entire army."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto challenged. He dissipated the clone he'd been sparring with. "Watch this." He crossed his fingers, and hundreds of clones appeared on the river, crowding the riverbanks and standing on tree trunks all around. And as if they all had some hidden signal, they burst into flame. It took Satoshi several moments to realize that it wasn't real flame, but a beautiful gold chakra engulfing each clone. Even though he wasn't a sensor, he could still feel the massive chakra weighing down the air. He didn't know what the technique did and he wasn't sure he wanted to know either.

"So what do you think?" Satoshi whipped around as Naruto spoke from just behind him. The original him hadn't gone into bijuu-mode or started a rasenshuriken, but his appearance startled Satoshi anyways. He forced a bored look and studied his fingernails. "Still think I wouldn't be able to take on an army?" Satoshi visibly gulped and Naruto dissipated all his clones.

"You can be really scary sometimes, you know," Satoshi said, and Naruto smiled sadly.

"Maybe," he agreed, "but only my enemies should be worried about that. And as a fellow Uzumaki, you'd never be my enemy." Satoshi smiled hesitantly and Naruto clapped him on the shoulder.

"So, what are you going to do in Ame?"

"I'm going to help another cousin win the war."

" _What_?" Satoshi squawked. Naruto laughed.

"Did I forget to mention that? Another Uzumaki – Nagato, I don't think he actually knows he's an Uzumaki – is the leader of Akatsuki, the rebel group fighting against Hanzo. I'm going to go help him out." Naruto gave a wry grin. "You're welcome to come, if you like."

"No thanks." Satoshi said. Naruto hadn't expected him to agree, as the younger man was obviously chunin level or less, if he was even a ninja at all. Going into a war zone at his combat level would be tantamount to suicide, and Satoshi didn't particularly feel like someone who would do that.

"Well, I'm going to be in Ame or Konoha most of the time, as long as I can get work there. Um, here – " Naruto held out a slip of paper to Satoshi. On it was a cryptic symbol in black ink.

"What is it?"

"It's a seal, for emergencies. It puts up a wall around itself, with a couple meter radius. You send a pulse of chakra into it – you can do that, right?" Satoshi nodded. "So, you send a pulse of chakra into it and a wall will go up. It'll zap anyone or anything that tries to get in and hopefully knock them out for a while." Satoshi looked worried, but Naruto didn't know why. He thought they'd already established that Naruto was friendly and would help those he considered family, which Satoshi was. So what was it? "What's wrong?"

"It's just – you know how your teleportation left you… you were out of it for days. Is this seal going to do something similar?" And Naruto understood. Satoshi was worried about him. Something warm bloomed in his chest and he realized it was happiness. This teenager had known him for less than a fortnight and he was worried about him. He _cared_ what happened to him. And he was family. It was amazing.

"No, it's already charged. You only have to trigger it," Naruto said after a moment. "It won't drain me like the other one, I'll be fine. And I'm not leaving until tomorrow anyways." Satoshi looked relieved. "And if you really want to know, I'm going to stop by Konoha after Ame. If you want to meet me there, I'll be there in a couple months. You shouldn't have much trouble getting there, it's not too difficult as long as you can get to Wave and have a few coins."

Satoshi nodded, looking thoughtful. "Well, goodnight, I guess."

"Yeah."

The next morning Naruto woke up and saw Satoshi roasting a fish over a small fire. His mouth watered; the smell of the fish had permeated the air and Naruto was hungry. He hopped down from his tree branch and landed next to Satoshi, who held out another fish on a stick to him.

"You have just become my favorite cousin, Satoshi," Naruto said in the most serious tone he could muster. Satoshi laughed. The rest of breakfast was quiet; Naruto's imminent departure weighing down both of their spirits. Finally the time came where Naruto set down his stick and re-sealed his possessions. He hesitated before he left; he wasn't used to saying goodbyes.

"Satoshi," he said haltingly. Satoshi turned around and looked back at him.

"Yeah?"

"It's just…oh, I give up," Naruto said. He went back to Satoshi and embraced him. "Good luck, cousin, and safe travels." Satoshi trembled and hugged him back.

"You too, Raiden," he said. "Don't die."

Naruto let out a strangled laugh. "I won't." They pulled apart, and with one last look at some of the first family that either of them had known, they turned away from each other. As Naruto jumped through the trees, he remembered what he had told Inari so long ago. _"A man only cries when he's happy"_. Well, he was crying now, and it wasn't just because he was happy. He marveled at the innocence and bravado of his twelve-year-old self. It was a bit sad, how much he'd changed – but then again, the world had forced change on him, each new enemy being stronger and crueler than the last.

It didn't matter now. Now he was going to stop it. He was going to try and improve whatever he could, starting with Nagato.

* * *

It took him five days of non-stop, exhaustive traveling to get to the borders of Ame, and after that he rested one day before trying to enter the country. Which was simultaneously more difficult and not quite as difficult as he had imagined. More difficult in the sense that there seemed to be few opportunities for sleep – soldiers and ninja roamed all over the entire country, and sleeping too long meant there was a higher chance he'd get discovered. It was also less difficult in the sense that all the ninja he had noticed had been much weaker than he was. Granted, he was stupidly overpowered, he would admit that to himself, but he'd had to become so to defeat the also stupidly overpowered enemies they'd been facing.

Whatever the case, if he had run into any of the ninja there, he would have been able to defeat them all easily. The only ninja he was really worried about encountering were Hanzo and Nagato. He was worried about Hanzo for obvious reasons, really – Kurama was good at filtering poisons, but it was said that even Hanzo wasn't immune to his own poison, and that meant there was a high chance it would be able to kill Naruto as well, jinchuuriki or no.

He was also worried about Nagato. He and his friends were leading a rebellion. And Naruto was an unknown ninja entering their territory, with no obvious marks of affiliation. He'd have to do some fast-talking to be accepted, or even allowed near the camp and Nagato. Which also brought up the topic: he didn't actually know where Nagato was. Of course, Ame was a rather small country, but it was still an entire country. He didn't have Sage Mode to rely on at the moment, and wouldn't have until he trained to use it again – but he didn't know how long that would take. Bijuu mode would probably help, but the most important aspect of the sensing ability was to sense ill intention, which was not really helpful at all actually, because the entire country was in the middle of a civil war and ill will was everywhere.

It was time to resort to the classics: actual human interaction. He asked around in various towns about the Akatsuki, making sure to sound as though he was trying to join them. He also took care to refer to the Akatsuki as a group – it was less threatening than asking after the leaders of said group, especially as the people were rather protective of the people who were protecting them.

Eventually he got a solid lead – a small town near the south-western border was supposed to be a recruitment point. So he pulled up his hood and trudged through the mud fields that made up most of the country's landscape and made his way to the town.

The first thing he did there was order a bowl of ramen. He was surprised they had some, actually, but he supposed that the ingredients for ramen were mostly pretty cheap, if you didn't add the meat or vegetables. So he got a pretty plain miso but it was delicious. He'd missed the warm noodles and slurping the slightly-oily broth. He could practically feel his energy returning. As he was in the middle of a particularly long and loud slurp, a person sat down next to him. He nearly choked as he saw the red-lined black cloak – _the old Akatsuki uniform!_ – but then he remembered that was exactly what he was looking for, as the Akatsuki weren't evil yet, and that if he did choke it would be a waste of good ramen. So he swallowed, took a breath, and then – kept eating.

He didn't want to startle the guy, after all, and he couldn't leave his ramen before he finished it. So he kept eating. If the guy wanted to talk to him then he would after he was done. And indeed, when the stand owner asked the guy what he wanted the guy refused anything. So if he wasn't there for food he was obviously there for something else, and he didn't seem particularly interested in the ramen stand owner – who, by the way, wasn't nearly as welcoming as Old Man Ichiraku and Ayame had been – then he must have been there to talk to one of the customers, of which Naruto was the only one. Finally, with one last long slurp, he set the bowl neatly down on the counter and placed his chopsticks across the top. He then turned to the Akatsuki member.

"Hello, my name's Uzumaki Raiden. You?" The guy's eyes widened.

"I'm Shin. But, you said Uzumaki?" He seemed astonished, more than Naruto would have expected.

"That's right."

The man shook his head and when he looked back at Naruto his face was blank. "What is your purpose in Ame?" That was good. Nagato – actually, was it Yahiko at this point? – knew what he was doing.

"I heard there was an Uzumaki somewhere around here and I wanted to check it out," Naruto answered simply. It was true, after all, and it would hopefully allow him to get to Nagato sooner. But, of course, the man was a loyal subordinate. Therefore a pain in the butt to anyone new. Shin's gaze turned suspicious.

"How do you know that? And how do I know you're actually an Uzumaki?" Naruto groaned. Why? Could something have been easy just once in his life?

"Besides the hair and sealing ability and large chakra stores, I can't really prove it. It's not like there's a current family tree floating around somewhere," he answered, annoyed. "Well, do whatever. It's not like you'd be able to get me an audience with this mysterious Uzumaki."

Shin looked surprised, then a bit affronted. "I could," he said. "If you'd just follow me, then I'll take you to leader-sama, and he'll decide whether or not we can trust you." _Yes!_

"Fine. Just let me finish my ramen will you?" And Naruto proceeded to finish his bowl of ramen under Shin's incredulous gaze. With a final slurp he set his empty bowl down on the counter, along with a few coins and hopped up. "Let's go!"

"Fair warning," Shin said as they walked along the street. "As soon as we get out of the city you're going to be blindfolded. Leader-sama doesn't want any outsiders knowing where the camp is."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Didn't the man know that highly-trained ninja didn't just rely on their vision? Naruto himself was highly capable at navigating his surroundings without sight – his nose, hearing, and chakra sensing capabilities made up for it. "That's fine," Naruto said.

Soon enough, Naruto was blindfolded and was on his way to meet his cousin for the second? – first? – time. After several hours of walking, Naruto began to hear human sounds. Not the random scuffles caused by wild animals, or rushing he associated with high winds or rivers, and not the endless pattering of rain, but clanks and voices and footsteps besides his and Shin's. Lots of footsteps.

It was still another ten minutes or so before the blindfold was pulled off. The shinobi in front of him was Yahiko; it explained the unfamiliar chakra signature. He'd known it would have been one of the three, but now that he thought about it... he already knew Konan's and Nagato's chakra signature, so of course it was Yahiko...

"Hello," he said brightly. The man's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Hello," he greeted back. "Shin, who is this?"

"He says he's Raiden _Uzumaki_ ," Shin replied. Yahiko surveyed him in a new light, he could see it in the change in his posture.

"Is that correct?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "And your purpose here?"

"I wanted to see if the rumors of another Uzumaki here were true. So I came into Ame and then Shin found me." Yahiko looked surprised.

"Is that true, Shin?" Shin nodded, and Yahiko gave him an approving look. "Good job. Now go and get some rest, you deserve it." Shin left, and Yahiko and Naruto just stood, observing each other.

"You have a high amount of chakra."

"I do," Naruto said. "How do you know that?"

"Your relative felt your chakra from here, said there was something about it, and asked Shin to track you down. Shin is one of our best sensors," Yahiko explained. He was relieved; it seemed as if the man was warming up to him and Naruto was glad. He'd always wanted to meet the man that Nagato had so admired and so far he wasn't disappointed. Yahiko knew his subordinates by name, and this along with his interaction with Shin and Shin's obvious loyalty proved him to be a good leader.

"Uzumaki chakra is generally different, more potent than normal chakra. Not to mention that we usually have a lot of it... still, I am considered a special case," Naruto said.

"Well, Raiden, shall we see if you are telling the truth?" Yahiko asked, walking up to Naruto's side and leading him to a corridor formed by the rows of tents. Naruto nodded slowly and followed.

As they walked, Naruto looked around curiously. Many of the people he saw sported bandages or other such items used to treat injuries, yet it was only a few that radiated negative emotion. He assumed that Nagato's side had the momentum – from what he could remember, at this point in time the only conflicts were minor skirmishes and Akatsuki was gaining followers quickly. They stopped in front of a large tent.

"Stay here," Yahiko ordered, and Naruto stopped. Yahiko ducked inside the tent. After a couple minutes passed, Naruto unsealed his food scroll from his belt and pulled out a ration bar. He re-sealed his food scroll back into his belt, and started gnawing on the bar. It seemed even preservation seals didn't stop them from tasting stale.

Yahiko emerged from the tent and raised an eyebrow when he saw Naruto trying to bite a piece off of the bar.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked. Naruto tapped his belt, too busy chewing to give him a verbal answer. "Well. Come in," he said, and Naruto entered the tent. It was pretty much how he'd imagined it – a few cots, a chair, a table with a map of Ame and several little pieces representing different groups of people.

And there they were – Konan and Nagato. Naruto's heart swelled as he saw his cousin once more – this time happy and healthy and whole.

"Sit down," Yahiko told him. "Konan and I are going to ask you a few questions, and Nagato's going to make sure you aren't lying." Naruto sat down.

"What is your name?" Yahiko asked.

Naruto thought a moment. If he said Naruto, then Naruto he would be – but then they might become suspicious, because of Jiraiya's book. If he said Raiden, then Nagato's jutsu might show that he was lying – but he wouldn't be, would he? Naruto was that blonde, spunky kid who thought anything was possible as long as he tried hard enough. Naruto was just a little kid, living in Konoha. He wasn't Naruto, not anymore. He was older, different. He was Raiden.

"I'm Raiden Uzumaki." He held his breath, and after several long seconds Nagato nodded.

Raiden almost couldn't help the grin that threatened to break out on his face.

"Where are you from?"

"I was born in Konoha. But I traveled a lot." Yahiko and Konan shot concerned glances at Nagato, who nodded, face blank. And then Raiden remembered that it was two Konoha shinobi that had killed Nagato's parents – but then again, Jiraiya was a Konoha shinobi, and they'd been taught by him for years...

"What is your purpose here?"

Raiden grinned. "I wanted to meet my relative," he said. "See what he was like, you know, but so far he hasn't talked much." Nagato looked confused.

"He's telling the truth," Nagato said, "but who is he talking about?"

"He speaks!" Raiden said, acting shocked. The three gave him surprised looks.

"You mean Nagato?" Konan asked. Raiden nodded.

"How do you know we're related?" Nagato asked. He looked very confused, and Raiden decided to take pity on him.

"There are several distinct trademarks of the Uzumaki clan," he explained. "First is the red hair."

"I thought that was an odd coincidence," Yahiko said sheepishly, "but I didn't think anything of it besides that." Konan sighed.

"Second," Raiden continued, amused, "is a larger than usual and/or more potent chakra store. Third, a lot of Uzumaki are good at sealing, although I don't know if you've tried it or not. Last but not least, practically all Uzumaki have a special ability tied to their chakra."

"What do you mean, special ability?" Nagato asked. Raiden thought a moment before answering, but decided to just go with the few examples he'd seen.

"My mother could form chakra chains capable of restraining a bijuu, which she learned from her great-aunt, who had the same ability. One of our cousins can heal injuries by letting the injured person bite her and is an amazing sensor. I myself have an extreme affinity for using natural chakra and have a sensing ability for negative emotions."

Yahiko and Konan both turned towards Nagato, who looked surprised. "He's telling the truth."

"Oh, and one more thing," Naruto added, as if it was just an afterthought. "Because Uzumaki chakra is so potent, it has the potential to reawaken lost bloodlines or create new ones."

The three shinobi across from him all looked spooked, and Nagato voiced the thought that they all shared. _"Rinnegan."_

* * *

The Akatsuki camp was a surprisingly pleasant place to be. Sure, it was dirty, often smelled bad – the people's waste had to go somewhere, and they didn't have plumbing – and was difficult to navigate. But the people were almost all friendly and as he was often found in the company of Nagato, he was afforded a small measure of respect until he'd earned it by his own merit.

Most of the respect people showed he earned properly. He helped out wherever he could – waterproofing seals went a long way here. And Raiden's constant friendly and optimistic attitude didn't hurt, either. It was something he still held on to, as he'd learned through experience that a good attitude was better in the long run than a bad one.

He didn't know how long he was there – maybe two, three weeks? But on a day when the rain was particularly heavy, they received a summons from Hanzou. And Raiden was concerned. As he remembered, Hanzou and Danzo conspired to put down the threat of Akatsuki. He didn't know the specifics – only that they were working together and that during the confrontation, which was supposed to be peaceful, Yahiko died and Nagato went berserk, slaughtering the rest of the Akatsuki and swearing revenge.

Konan read the letter aloud. _"'To the leader of the group Akatsuki: I would like to formally request a meeting between our respective parties. The meeting will be non-combative. I will be at Shikkotsu Field on the thirtieth of this month, in order to work out an agreement in our mutual goal to strive for peace. You may bring one other person. If you do_ not _come, or if you bring more than one person, I will assume it is a declaration of war and you will be treated as an enemy of the country. Sanshouo no Hanzou.' "_

"It's obviously a trap," Yahiko said, dismissing the letter quickly. "There's no way we can trust him, he's done nothing for this country for the last decade except sit in his palace." Raiden mentally agreed, but he also knew that the confrontation was necessary for Hanzou to be dethroned. And in order for Ame to prosper, Hanzou had to be dethroned.

"Be that as it may," Nagato argued, "this is our only chance to confront Hanzou before we are officially labeled as enemies to the state. A lot of supplies we receive right now are from merchants sympathetic to our cause. As soon as we are officially enemies, it becomes a lot more dangerous for them to be supplying us. I don't want to put loyal citizens in that position."

"I agree with Nagato," Konan said. "Just think about it, Yahiko – right now the only conflict we've seen are minor skirmishes. If we don't show up, we will officially be at war. If we do go, and it is a trap, then we will fight, which is the same thing that will end up happening eventually if we don't go."

"I see." Yahiko looked pensive. "Then Nagato and I will go." Konan looked ready to protest, then noted Yahiko's expression and sighed.

Raiden decided it was time for him to butt in and add his two cents.

"And right now, you have a secret weapon!" He exclaimed, grinning.

"And what's that?" Yahiko asked. They all had matching confused expressions.

"Me!"

Nagato and Konan both gave him small smiles, but Yahiko just looked incredulous.

"You? I know you said you're an Uzumaki, but seriously, there's no way you can make that big of a difference!" He said. "And if Hanzo notices you there, we're all dead!"

Raiden just grinned slyly. "I have a seal to block my chakra signature – although it only does work on me – and as for the making a difference part: are you sure about that?" He asked.

And Yahiko suddenly looked unsure. "Can you?"

"I'll give you a small demonstration – just bring me to a place you wouldn't mind getting blown up."

And so they led Raiden out to an empty field a short distance away on which several members – around twenty or so – of the Akatsuki were practicing jutsu in small groups. Raiden made several clones, which he sent to warn them. They came over by the small group, curiosity written all over their faces.

"What's going on?" One of them asked. "The clone told us we should come over here so we wouldn't get injured..."

"Yeah, same for us."

"Raiden said he was going to give us a demonstration of his jutsu," Konan answered. Raiden plopped down on the ground in a meditative posture, facing away from them, disregarding the mud soaking his pants and everything going on around him. Thanks to the few weeks of relative downtime he'd had in the camp, he'd been able to access Sage Mode – not Toad Sage Mode, like before, but pure, unstructured nature chakra. And then he remembered that he couldn't do the Rasenshuriken. He ran over the list of techniques he knew, trying to find one suitably destructive. He could do a couple of them at the same time to strengthen it, if he needed to.

After just a couple of minutes, he popped up, eyes open, and turned to face them. They looked startled, and Raiden realized he hadn't yet seen his face in the new Sage Mode. He made a couple clones – hey, the new Sage Mode looked pretty cool – and started charging up for the jutsu.

"You're gonna want to see this," he said, grinning madly. It felt great to finally use one of his upper-level techniques, after downplaying his strength for so long.

"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!" He and his clones inhaled, chests puffed out almost comically, then each of them thumped their chest and spat out a sphere of super-compressed air. Raiden knew it looked a bit goofy, but it sure worked – the first time he'd seen it was when he was up against Shukaku and the bijuu had leveled an entire forest with it. The spheres joined in midair about twenty meters away, expanding into one much larger sphere.

It flew into a small column of rock, blasting through, scattering debris and rock shards everywhere. It barely slowed.

"Keep watching," Raiden told them, a battle-happy grin on his face.

And then it hit the ground and exploded. The pressure was suddenly released, expanding into a shockwave of hot, dry air that blew everyone's hair back from their faces, despite being at least seventy meters away. It tore up the ground around it, spattering mud everywhere. After several seconds, the noise stopped and the mud storm died down, leaving a sizable crater where it had hit.

"Ta da!" He said, bouncing in place. "Pretty cool, huh? Aren't I awesome? Aren't I?" There was no response, so he turned to them. They all looked shocked. "What?"

"I'm glad he's on our side," one of the ninja said.

* * *

The first thing Raiden did on the morning they were supposed to meet with Hanzou was to go into Sage Mode and survey the camp and the surrounding area for Konan's chakra. As he suspected, it was nowhere to be found. That meant Hanzou already had her. He wasn't overly worried; she'd be kept safe at least until Hanzou threatened her in front of Yahiko and Nagato, but that was what he'd be there to stop.

He reapplied the chakra-masking seal and emerged from his tent to meet with Yahiko and Nagato, who were both looking rather grim.

"Ready?" Yahiko asked the two of them. Raiden nodded, Nagato doing the same but looking a little less certain. "Then let's go."

They shot off, leaving the camp behind and heading towards the meeting place. There was a tense silence the whole way there, and it was wearing down on Raiden's nerves despite knowing about Hanzou's treachery and having already come up with a plan to deal with it. When Raiden felt a large concentration of chakra up ahead of them a short distance, he used Jiraiya's old camouflage jutsu and slipped away a short distance, letting Nagato and Yahiko land before Hanzou's forces.

He felt twin spikes of rage and worry as they realized Konan was the one being held by Hanzou, and heard Hanzou issue his challenge.

"Your gang is a hindrance to my plans. Yahiko...as the leader, you will die here today. If you don't, this girl will get it." Raiden heard the _thwick_ of a kunai hitting the earth, and knew it was his time to act. He took a deep breath, released it, then made an exploding shadow clone. The clone transformed itself into Konan, then near-flawlessly performed Kawarimi to swap with Konan. She appeared next to him, startled, but thankfully stayed quiet.

He grinned, whispered, "Watch," and they both peeked out over the top of the rock he was hiding behind, just in time to see the clone give Hanzou a nasty grin and explode in his face. From their vantage point they could also see Nagato and Yahiko's faces – both relieved and completely baffled. Konan giggled, Raiden chuckling as well.

Raiden pulled the seal tag off that concealed his chakra and jumped out to Nagato and Yahiko, Konan right behind him.

"I heard there was a party going on," he said. "Why didn't you invite me guys? Oh – free kunai!" He picked it up from the ground and grinned. He felt Hanzou's anger rise, wrath and menace forming an aura around him. That wasn't good. He still was able to enjoy their expressions of bewilderment, though; they were funny.

Yahiko shook off his confusion and smirked. "Didn't mean to ignore you," he said. "Glad you could join us." The smoke from the clone's explosion cleared and Raiden smiled.

"Let's go _wild_."

* * *

The battle went mostly as expected – Hanzou was defeated thanks to the combined efforts of Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan and his chakra was locked, thanks to a timely seal application by one of Raiden's clones – and what was left of his forced surrendered. Raiden spent most of his effort tackling Danzo and his forces. His army of clones handily took care of the nameless ROOT. Danzo, however...

Through Sage Mode and a liberal use of shadow clones, as well as wind-natured techniques and seals, he was able to finally tire the man out enough that he was able to slap him with a temporary chakra-disrupting seal. The half-second the seal gave him was enough to knock the man unconscious; he didn't know what effect killing Danzo would have on the political structure of Konoha. So however unfortunate it was, the man would have to be kept alive until the politics mess there could be sorted out.

He left Danzo on the ground and regrouped with the other three. He knew the man would wake up eventually, but he was actually counting on that, because Danzo going missing would put the Third on alert, not to mention what would happen to Sai if he were killed, but it boiled down to: if he killed Danzo, and the Third heard about it – that was bad. So, unfortunately, the man would have to live. Yahiko had Hanzou's unconscious body draped over his shoulders – it was for proof he was actually defeated – and the surviving Ame nin huddled behind them.

"So, what's next?" He asked.

"Politically speaking," Konan said, "what's next is a visit to the daimyo, so he'll support us. And we'll need Hanzou to tell the daimyo he wishes to resign and that he's appointed Yahiko as his successor."

"Gotcha. Wait 'til Hanzou wakes up, make him write a letter to the daimyo requesting an audience with him, and then go there with a contingent of your Akatsuki and have him appoint Yahiko as the leader of Amegakure. Good plan, I approve!"

Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you approve? It doesn't matter if you approve or not! You're not the daimyo." He paused, his face growing horrified. "Are you?"

Raiden stayed quiet, holding in all his amusement and looked imperiously down his nose at Yahiko. "Hn."

And then his face looked hilarious, and he heard Nagato's muffled snort of amusement and he couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing, and Yahiko's face turned from horrified to mortified. "You – "

And then their victory against the combined forces of Hanzou and ROOT turned into an undignified game of tag.

* * *

"Sorry, guys, but I really do have to go now. It just wouldn't be fair to all the others if I stayed here, no matter how much I want to," Raiden said.

"But you'll come visit, won't you?" Konan asked. Raiden nodded.

"Of course. See you later, Nagato, Konan, Oh Great Leader Yahiko," he said with a smile, before setting off towards Konoha.

He waited until he gauged that he was sufficiently far away to charge up bijuu mode and took off.

 _'Hey, Kurama.'_

 _'Yeah?'_

 _'Do you think I'm doing the right thing?'_

 _'Kid, don't doubt yourself. There are no instructions for something like this – you just have to play it by ear. Doubt will only slow you down.'_

 _'All right then.'_ He could still feel the doubt in him, working its hardest to dim his Will of Fire. And he didn't know how to stop it.

 _'Naruto.'_ He raised his head – Kurama had used his real name. Not a nickname, like kid, or brat, and not even the name he was using. Kurama had called him by his true name – the name he'd inherited, which brought with it a will to never give up. _'If you start doubting yourself, just remember why you came here in the first place. You've already saved Yahiko from dying and Nagato from becoming something he would have hated. And you can still save others – the Third, Jiraiya, that Hyuuga boy. You've come here to the past, and you can't go back now. Just do what you can.'_

 _'...thanks, Kurama.'_


	3. Chapter 3: Konoha

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

He only used the chakra cloak to travel about an hour every day – it covered the same distance a normal ninja would in half a day. The rest of the time, he worked on his Sage Mode. Thanks to the practice he'd done in the Akatsuki camp, he was able to enter Sage Mode fairly consistently, but it took far too long. He needed to cut the time down to less than a second. And that meant –

"All right, you lot! Time to practice!"

– spamming shadow clones.

Despite this, it only took him a week to get to where he recognized the forest around him. He slowed down to a walk; he was an unregistered person with shinobi skills and to come running into a ninja village without an invitation was considered extremely poor manners. Well, it was actually closer to a declaration of war, but, whatever.

Still, the point of coming to Konoha was to foster a positive relationship with them, so he'd be a good little ninja and obey the rules. At least until he got the political part settled... then it wouldn't matter if he played a prank or two.

He grinned as the great walls and green gates came into view – he had really missed the sight of them. Though they looked less worn than he remembered, the paint a little less faded and a that long scratch absent – they _felt_ the same, welcoming and open.

He strolled up and stopped at the gate station. He was confused at the lack of the two chunin he remembered, Izumo and Kotetsu, before realizing they were most likely still genin at the moment. The two guards currently on duty acted much the same, though, as one guard was reading a book with a dull green cover – and the other was asleep.

"'Scuse me," Raiden said. The guard that had been reading sat up, shoved his book under the desk and cleared his throat while nudging the other, who started and sat up blearily.

"What can I do for you?" The guard asked.

"I want to see your Hokage," Raiden announced. The guard looked him over critically.

"Do you have documentation?" Raiden fished around in his pants pocket and withdrew a wad of folded papers, thanking Nagato for his foresight and willingness to help out, as the papers made him an official Ame citizen. He handed them over to the guard, who examined them and gave him a different piece of paper which was thicker and had a stamp on it.

"This is a temporary pass," the sleepy guard explained. "It expires in two weeks, so you better be out by then or get a permanent pass or something. Good luck."

Raiden nodded cheerfully and turned to head into the village before stopping abruptly and going back to the post. "Um, which direction do I go to find where the Hokage lives?" He asked, smiling sheepishly. The guards looked at each other before they burst out laughing, and Raiden just stood there, small grin still fixed. Never underestimate the power of stupidity – it, in turn, leads others to underestimate the one smiling.

They calmed down, and the sleepy one said, "Just follow the road to a tall round red building. Ask for more directions at the desk there."

"Thanks!" Raiden said, then decided he'd wasted enough time and used Shunshin to get to the building. To keep up the charade, he asked directions to the Hokage's office and headed up. Lucky for him the Old Man was free.

"Yo!" He said as he walked in. "Nice to meet ya, Hokage-sama! Man, you're old!"

Raiden struggled to keep a straight face as he saw the Old Man's slightly baffled expression.

"Do I know you?" He asked, and Raiden shrugged.

"Probably not, I've never seen you before." The Old Man looked even more confused, and Raiden was sure he was annoying Kurama with the cackling he was doing in his head - before he realized that Kurama was cackling right along with him. "Anyways, I've come because my cousin's friend just became the leader of Ame and wants an alliance. Oh yeah, do you happen to have any good ramen shops?"

Raiden noted with pride that the Old Man's pipe was tilted dangerously. He wondered absently if he could get it to fall out entirely.

"Oh, I'm Uzumaki Raiden, by the way." _And...success! Goodbye, pipe!_

The Old Man was frozen for a good ten seconds, but then he cleared his throat and moved his pipe off of the pile of papers and onto a bare spot on his desk.

"Well," he said, "Ichiraku's Ramen is quite good, if I do say myself. As for the alliance, I will have to meet with him in person. Did he have any particular information about when and where he wanted to meet? And about the general state of affairs in Ame?"

Raiden scratched his head. It was really _fun_ playing stupid. "Um...yeah, hold on..."

And then he realized that he'd actually forgotten where he'd put Yahiko's message. Well, really it was Nagato and Konan who'd written most of it. So he began the long process of looking through his seal belt.

He unsealed everything that he had in his belt and was rather surprised to find that it made a pile just over a meter high, of both other storage scrolls varying in content and random junk he'd collected.

"Wow. I really need to sort out my crap." He turned and addressed the Hokage. "You don't mind if I move all this to a corner so I can find it, do you?" The Hokage nodded absently, evidently still a bit baffled.

So he moved all his stuff over to a corner and sat down in the middle of it, sorting through his stuff. He made several piles: food (that's where his limited edition instant ramen went!), water (why did he have so many water bottles? Half of which were empty?), weapons (he thought he had gotten rid of that giant mace _years_ ago), clothes (he didn't have any orange left?), and a miscellaneous pile.

Several clients came and went while he was busy sorting in the corner, but after a quick wave and smile and cheerful "Don't mind me!" and several dubious looks they went back to their business. At around five o'clock he'd finished sorting his stuff and had re-sealed it all into his belt. He stood up and stretched.

"Man, that took forever!" He said.

"Did you find the letter?" The Old Man asked.

"What letter?"

"The one from 'your cousin's friend'."

"Oh, that. Um, no, actually." Raiden couldn't believe he had actually forgotten. Maybe it was the atmosphere – he hadn't gotten to relax properly in ages, and being in the Hokage's office with the Old Man had put him completely at ease and he hadn't even noticed. "It's odd. I could have sworn..."

Raiden frowned. That really wasn't good. If he didn't find that paper...

He stuck his hands in his pockets in dejection and his hand met with a clump of papers. He pulled them out slowly. There was his Ame citizenship papers, and his temporary visa...and the letter from Yahiko!

"Here ya go!" He said, grin back on his face. It was good he hadn't lost it. That could have been disastrous. And he was still finding amusement in the Old Man's expressions. He figured he'd inflicted enough of his particular brand of amusement on him for one day and bowed.

"By your leave, Hokage-sama..."

"You may be dismissed."

Raiden left the office with a cheery wave and walked out, heading straight to Ichiraku's Ramen. He hadn't had it in ages. That stuff in Ame just hadn't hit the spot. And just for fun, he decided he'd skip there.

 _'Why do you insist on making a fool of yourself?'_

 _'Kurama, just think of it like I'm playing a prank on the entire village. At this point all they have observed about me is that I'm airheaded and have some skill in sealing. Plus, it's kinda fun. And what's more, the lower their expectations are of me, the more I'll be able to accomplish under their noses and the less I'm obligated to do.'_

 _'...I just wish it didn't make you, and by extension me, look so stupid.'_

Raiden stopped dead. "That smell..." He turned the corner and saw the most amazing ramen restaurant in all of the shinobi nations. He rushed up and snagged a seat. "Hey, can I get a miso?" He called. The old man – actually, not so old yet – turned.

"Coming right up," he said. "I haven't seen you before, though you do look kind of familiar..." He shook his head. "Sorry about that. Are you new here?"

"Oh yeah, I just got here actually. I asked Hokage-sama for a recommendation for a place to eat and he told me to go here, so I did. I've only been in Konoha for a few hours."

"How are you liking it?" The man asked, stirring the pot of noodles as they boiled.

"Well, I've actually been in the Hokage's office the whole time – I misplaced a letter I was supposed to deliver to him and had to find it." Raiden laughed embarrassedly and rubbed the back of his head. Ichiraku laughed along with him.

"Well, for what it's worth, welcome to the village, shinobi-san."

"Wait, you're a ninja?" Raiden looked to his left and nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized he was sitting next to his six-year-old self.

"Sure am! Uzumaki Raiden, at your service." Raiden kept a watchful eye out during his proclamation and was pleased with the reactions he saw. Ichiraku had actually dropped his spoon, though he caught it again before it hit the floor, and Naruto had stopped eating.

"U-uzumaki?" Naruto asked pitifully, and Raiden's heart hurt as he saw the faint hope in the boy's eyes. "Like me?"

"You're an Uzumaki?" Raiden asked, though he already knew the answer – knew much more about it, in fact, than the young boy himself did.

"Y-yeah..."

"Nice t'meetcha. What's your name?"

"I'm Naruto."

"Welcome to the family, Naruto." And then his younger self started bawling and Raiden remembered the first time he'd been acknowledged like that and how emotional he'd been. "Hey, don't cry, you don't want your noodles to get soggy, do you?"

And so Naruto sniffed and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve and started eating his noodles again. Ichiraku had finished Raiden's own noodles and he got his bowl and started eating as well, explaining to Naruto about what he was doing. Raiden knew that he wouldn't be able to interact with his younger self as much as the boy would like, but it wouldn't be fair to him to tell him that they were family and leave without any explanation.

And he also knew that if he asked Naruto to stay quiet about it, he would, if only because someone had acknowledged and trusted him to do something and the boy didn't want to betray that trust.

"I'm actually here for one of our other cousins – the Uzumaki are a scattered clan, you know, and there aren't many of us left, and some don't even know they have Uzumaki blood – but we have a cousin named Nagato in Ame who is best friends with their new leader – they're teammates – and his friend Yahiko asked me to give a letter to the Hokage for them, which is what I was doing today."

Naruto's eyes were wide, and Raiden was glad he was able to make the kid happy. It was something he had no doubt been sorely lacking in his life so far. "So, our cousin Nagato – he's really important?"

"Yup." Raiden nodded after taking another slurp of his noodles. He had forgotten how good they were. "He's a super-cool ninja, just like me."

"I'm gonna be a super-cool ninja someday, too, just you wait. I'm gonna be the Hokage!" Raiden nodded at his younger counterpart's enthusiasm. He missed those relatively carefree days.

"Go for it, kid."

They ate their ramen quietly for a while, until both bowls had been emptied and re-filled and emptied again a few times. Raiden put some money on the counter, paying for both his and Naruto's meals, and walked off. Naruto followed him.

"Do you have a place to stay?" He asked, and Raiden looked down at him. He hadn't found one yet, and he had all his gear with him so even if he didn't he'd be comfortable, but... staying with Naruto could benefit him in the long run.

"I don't, actually," he admitted.

"You wanna come stay at my place?" Raiden smiled at him.

"Sure, why not."

So Naruto moved slightly in front of him and Raiden wondered when his life had stopped making sense.

He followed Naruto to the apartment building he remembered so well and breathed in. It smelled the same. Slightly musty. Kind of gross. Yep. That was one thing he had to be thankful of Nagato for – his attack on the other Konoha had knocked down the building and he'd gotten a much nicer apartment.

A couple flights of stairs later, Naruto opened his door with his key and stepped in, taking off his shoes and setting them in front of the step. Raiden followed, smiling at the sight the two pairs of shoes made next to each other. Naruto's shoes were blue, and so small compared to his mud-caked dark grey sandals.

He shook his head and continued in. "Um, you can sleep on the couch. It's long enough, I think. And, um, the bathroom is right there but I don't always have hot water so you might get a cold shower. Um, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Raiden said. "It's great." Naruto looked relieved and disappeared into his bedroom. Raiden chuckled. It would seem that the kid was self-conscious. He decided then and there that he'd stay the whole two weeks his visa permitted and send a shadow clone out if he needed to send word back to Ame. There was no way he could leave Naruto like this; hadn't he wished in his own childhood for an opportunity that he had the chance to give the kid?

He unsealed his camping equipment and withdrew a blanket, then took off his shirt and folded it up for a pillow. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Raiden woke with a start, immediately calming when he took in his surroundings. He was just in his old apartment... wait, what? He sat up, looking around. Oh, yeah - he was staying with Naruto. He shook his head to clear it and walked sleepily over to the bathroom to relieve himself. He decided he'd take a shower, too. Nothing better than a freezing shower to chase away grogginess.

He walked out after finishing, only to bump into Naruto. The boy was barely awake and obviously needed to pee. Raiden chuckled. Some things just never changed. He dressed quickly and headed into the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Except it was a disaster – he couldn't find a clean pan in sight, and Naruto had no food in his fridge. Well. No food worth eating. The cupboards, he knew, would only contain various kinds of instant ramen. So, with a sigh, he sent out a shadow clone to buy some groceries and started cleaning the dishes that were scattered around the kitchen.

By the time Naruto had finished his own shower, Raiden had succeeded in cleaning all the dirty dishes – shadow clones may or may not have been used liberally – and was making tamagoyaki.

"Here you are," Raiden said, placing a plate in front of Naruto and putting several pieces on. "Eat it, it's good."

Naruto took a bite of one, chewed a bit, then took another huge bite - his cheeks were bulging - and said, "Vif is weawy goof!"

"Hey – chew, swallow, _then_ talk."

Naruto chewed furiously, then swallowed, and then said, "This is really good!"

"You think so?" Raiden asked. Tamagoyaki was pretty good, it was one of his breakfast favorites so he'd taught himself to make it. And Naruto did need more variety in his diet, so...

"I can teach you, if you like." He finished the second batch and set it on his own plate and sat down to eat with Naruto, leaving the pan to cool. He'd go back and wash it later.

Mmmm, tamagoyaki... he hadn't had it in a while. He made a shadow clone, who sat at the end of the table and Raiden passed it a sheet of paper and a pen. The clone started writing.

"Woah, that's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "What's it doing?"

"It's writing down the instructions for making tamagoyaki, which is what this is," Raiden explained. Naruto looked downcast all of a sudden and set his chopsticks down gently on his plate, making a quiet _clack_. His bangs shadowed his eyes, obscuring his expression.

"I don't – I don't read so well," he said. Raiden winced. How could he have forgotten? He hadn't known a lot of the kanji kids were expected to know upon starting the ninja academy. Quite a few were taught by parents, and without any parents, there really wasn't much he could do to teach himself. By the time he'd met Old Man Ichiraku, he'd been old enough that asking him to teach him was just awkward. And the Old Man Hokage was always busy, he didn't have time to teach him.

"He'll write it as simply as he can," Raiden reassured Naruto. "And I'll tell it to you, too."

"Okay then!" Crisis averted; Naruto was back to being happy. The clock struck eight, and Raiden looked up. "Don't you have school?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot!" Naruto looked greatly alarmed.

"When does it start?" Raiden asked.

"In five minutes!"

"Alright – hold on," Raiden said, and picked Naruto up. He jumped out the window and ran up to the roof. "What direction?" Naruto pointed, and Raiden raced across the roofs.

"There!" Naruto yelled, and Raiden dropped down in front of the doors.

"When's your lunch?"

"One-thirty!"

"Alright, good, I'll bring one to you. Now, you've got two minutes, go, and don't be late!"

"Okay!" And with that, Naruto ran into the building. Raiden realized he was smiling. Naruto... he was still such a happy kid. Of course, he had made some rather depressing faces while mentioning his lack of reading skill, but he still had that naïve belief in the inherent goodness of people and love of life that had marked his ninja way while young. And Raiden was going to keep it that way, as long as he possibly could. He stuck his hands in his pockets and meandered away, off to do some errands. Most of which involved going to see the Hokage and cleaning up Naruto's place.

First up was going back to Naruto's apartment and cleaning up the dishes. He got in easily; the window was still open from his exit earlier so he didn't have to worry about the door. He found some soap under the sink and used it to wash the pan and set it out to dry, then sat at the table.

Time to make a plan. Seeing the Hokage again would have to be done that day, as he'd left rather abruptly the day before and he hadn't given the man a way to contact him – though as the Hokage, he probably didn't matter. Still. He wanted to make a good impression.

And then there was the matter of Naruto. He'd promised to make the kid's lunch, but the boy had no good food in his kitchen. That meant grocery shopping; the supplies he'd bought for breakfast wouldn't be enough for the rest of the week. And with the diet thing, well, he'd have to write up a list of things a growing boy would be able to cook.

But first things first. He needed to see the Hokage.

* * *

He stuck his head upside-down into the Old Man's window and dropped in, flipping back upright. "What's up?" He asked, and then noticed there was another person in the office.

"Satoshi? Long time no see!"

"Raiden?" He held his hand out for a fistbump, which Satoshi returned happily.

"It seems that the two of you know each other," the Hokage remarked dryly. "Perhaps you could save your reunion until later?"

"Right, sorry," Raiden said, and moved to the back of the room while Satoshi received a semi-permanent visa. Those lasted six months, give or take, so that actually solved a lot of the problems with Naruto, as long as Satoshi was willing to help.

"Your turn, Raiden." He was snapped from his thoughts to see Satoshi exiting the office, leaving him alone with the Hokage.

"Right," Raiden said. "Any progress?"

"I have read the letter," the Old Man answered, "as have my advisors, but we have not yet come to a decision. You may return in ten days to receive our response." The Old Man looked serious, and Raiden knew it wasn't time to fool around.

"Okay then," he said simply. "I will return then. In the meantime...is there anywhere I could go for a quick spar?"

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, but answered his question. "We have training fields all around the edge of town. You are welcome to go investigate." And then he went back to his paperwork and Raiden left the office by the door to catch up with Satoshi.

"How've you been?" He asked, coming up silently behind his cousin. Satoshi jumped, making Raiden snicker, and turned and started whacking him.

"Come on, Raiden! Don't do that!" But Satoshi was grinning, so Raiden knew he wasn't really mad. It was good to see him again, he hadn't expected to meet up again until much later, at least until he'd sorted out the whole Ame situation.

"Aw, come on..." Raiden trailed off, and then he realized Satoshi didn't know about Naruto. That needed to change right away. "Guess what! So, we have a little cousin here – his name's Naruto – and he's not very well off, so, you want to meet him? I'm giving him his lunch later!"

Satoshi's expression softened from grudging amusement to something warmer. "I'd love to."

"Great!" Raiden saw a grocery store and tugged on Satoshi's arm. "Come on, let's go in here, I've gotta get some food."

* * *

"What's with the grocery binge?" Satoshi asked after they exited the store, completely weighed down with bags. "This is enough food for a month!"

"Nonsense. For three people, especially Uzumaki, it'll probably just be enough for a week." Raiden said.

"Three?"

"Yeah. You and I are going to be staying with Naruto for a while."

"We are?" Satoshi asked, completely baffled. "Won't he be irritated at two near-strangers butting into his life?"

Raiden expertly maneuvered through the twisting maze of streets in the direction of Naruto's apartment. "No," he said, starting to explain to Satoshi the particulars of the boy's situation. "Naruto is a six-year-old orphan who is not in a particularly good standing with the citizens of the village because of something completely outside of his control. Having two people come to help take care of him – that's like his biggest dream – besides becoming Hokage, of course."

"Oh."

Raiden led him up the stairs, as Satoshi didn't have the ability to climb up walls.

"Man, this place is pretty run-down," Satoshi said, and Raiden looked up. It really was – the paint was patchy, the walls were scratched, and the stairs made ominous creaking noises when they were stepped on. He hadn't really noticed it before, but...

He picked the lock quickly enough that Satoshi didn't notice and let them both into the apartment. The both of them went straight to the kitchen to deposit the food.

Satoshi opened the fridge to start putting stuff in. "Oh, gross," he said. "This apple is totally moldy – and this milk is expired by a _week_. Does this kid ever clean?"

"Satoshi. He's _six_."

"Right, right, forgot about that..."

Raiden found him a rag and the same soap from before for him to clean out the fridge, which he managed with great efficiency and several complaints. Aside from that, the groceries were put away without much difficulty. Satoshi also had several remarks to make about the size of Naruto's ramen collection.

"What time is it?" Raiden asked. Satoshi looked at Naruto's clock.

"Four to one."

"Cool." Wait – wasn't Naruto's lunch at one-thirty? "Crap! I gotta make his lunch!" Raiden rushed to the kitchen to start preparing. Twenty-five minutes later he had a neat, colorful bento box.

"Come on, Satoshi, let's go. Naruto's lunch starts in ten minutes and that's about how long it takes to walk there."

The two of the exited, Raiden making sure to lock the door before he closed it. The walk to the school was pretty quiet. Satoshi was busy looking around, memorizing the route, and Raiden was lost in thought about what they could do to help Naruto. With Satoshi's help it would be much easier, but there were times Naruto would have to do things by himself.

He'd have to teach him how to disguise himself properly. And they'd have to work on reading. Basic nutrition... Satoshi could help a bit, but Raiden didn't know if he knew how to actually cook. And that apartment...it was old, run down, and rickety. Not to mention the boy's personal hygiene habits. His clothes were all right for now, and though he deeply regretted it – orange was a great color – he would have to prevent Naruto from getting those orange jumpsuits somehow. They were awesome for practically anything but ninja missions, which did often require some sort of finesse.

But that could wait until a bit later; the school was just up ahead and he wanted to see Naruto.

"Just in time," Satoshi said, both of them hearing a bell that signaled the beginning of lunch. They headed around the side of the building to the schoolyard; Naruto's chakra was a bright flare amongst the duller embers of his peers and it was easy to track his location.

"Hey, Naruto!" Raiden called, making sure to raise his voice so that the boy could hear him. "Over here!"

Naruto bounded away from the small group of boys he was with and a huge grin appeared on his face. "You came!" He exclaimed, tackling him.

"Of course I did," Raiden said, ruffling the boy's hair and making sure the bento didn't get squashed.

"Guess what?" Raiden asked, moving the bento box around behind him.

"What?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"I have your lunch," Raiden said, handing Naruto the bento box. "And I found another cousin. His name's Satoshi. Say hi, Satoshi!"

Satoshi shot him a glare before turning to Naruto, a pleasant smile now on his face. Naruto giggled. "What's up?" He said amicably. Naruto smiled again.

"Nice t'meetcha, I'm Naruto!"

"Nice to meet you too, Naruto. But you better go and eat your lunch now – we can talk properly after you come home from school. Make sure you do well, okay?"

Naruto nodded dramatically. "Okay!" And then he ran off, back to the group of boys he'd been with earlier. Raiden watched him go, then glanced at Satoshi, who was watching the boy cynically.

"So what do you think?" He asked. He was rather curious to know Satoshi's opinion of his younger self.

"His hair is the wrong color."

Raiden turned and gave him a _look_. "Are you serious right now?"

"Well, it's true..."

"One of his parents probably wasn't Uzumaki."

Satoshi sighed. "Well, other than that, he's a pretty cute kid. Are you sure he's six, though? He's awfully small."

"I'm sure." It was at six years old that he himself had started living alone. "What do you say we help him out?"

"Of course," Satoshi replied simply, as if there wasn't any question about it. "He's family, isn't he?"

It seemed the legends of the Uzumaki family ties were true, after all. Satoshi felt it, accepting both him and Naruto. Raiden had felt it, the protectiveness towards Nagato and Naruto, and Satoshi even though he'd not met him in his previous timeline. And Naruto had instantly accepted the both of them. It was great to have a family.

* * *

 **A/N: I know the timeline is messed up. I did that on purpose.**

 **On a side note, my semester is finally over.**


	4. Chapter 4: New Friends

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"I'm home!" Raiden heard Naruto call.

"Welcome home, Naruto. Satoshi and I have something we want to talk with you about, is that okay?" Naruto looked nervous.

"Don't worry, Naruto, it's nothing bad," Satoshi said. "Here, have a snack." Satoshi handed Naruto a handful of rice crackers, which he accepted gratefully.

"We were thinking," Raiden said, "that since I travel a lot and Satoshi is going to be staying here long-term that maybe we could get a bigger apartment or a house for all of us to share. That way it'll be cheaper for all of us and we get to stay with each other. How does that sound?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean it? I'll get to stay with you?"

"Sure. Why not?" Satoshi said. "There'll just be a couple of rules – make sure you help clean up sometimes and do well in school. Pretty good deal, right?"

Naruto burst into tears and ran to hug Satoshi, who pulled him up on his lap and held him, making comforting noises. Raiden raised an eyebrow, and Satoshi shrugged slightly. He guessed he'd leave the comforting to Satoshi, then.

With only a couple of prompts from the both of them, Naruto started on his homework and with their help was able to complete it.

"All right then, what next?" Satoshi asked. "His homework is done, I have the day off, and you don't have to be anywhere, right Raiden?" Raiden nodded. The three of them sat there, mostly at a loss of what to do. There weren't many things that spanned the interests of an nineteen-year-old, a sixteen-year-old, and a six-year-old. And then Raiden thought of something extremely important.

"Oh, I know! Let's play hide-and-seek!"

The other two looked at him like he was crazy.

"I don't think it's gonna work," Naruto said. "I think it's too easy in here." Satoshi nodded his agreement.

"I don't mean in here," Raiden said. "Outside. We'll make it so that you have to stay on a certain street – the one with the farmer's market, where there's lots of people. Oh, and the hiders will be disguised."

A smile grew on Satoshi's face, but Naruto looked dismayed. "But – I don't know how to disguise myself. I don't even know how to do my catra yet."

Satoshi and Raiden both chuckled. "Chakra, Naruto," Raiden corrected gently. "That's okay, though. I'll explain it better. One of us," he said, gesturing to Satoshi and himself, "will be the seeker. The other person will help you get disguised and teach you how to do different disguises as well as disguising themselves. Each round you'll get half an hour to get disguised and the seeker will get ten minutes to find you. How does that sound?"

Naruto's face had steadily grown lighter throughout the explanation until he was positively beaming. "That sounds like a lot of fun!" He said. "What are we waiting for!"

For the first round, Satoshi was the one to help Naruto. He made a pretty good disguise – Naruto's hair was dyed a pale green, his whisker marks covered by smudged dirt and his clothes changed to blue shorts and a light green jacket as opposed to his previous black t-shirt and tan shorts. He was playing in the small playground just off the street – points to Satoshi for interpreting the rules creatively. Satoshi had inverted the colors on his clothes, as they were fairly nondescript, and had put on a bandana to cover his blazing hair. Simple, but effective.

Raiden wandered around for the better part of five minutes, examining some of the stalls there – those pears looked particularly juicy – before heading over to the park and tapping Satoshi on the shoulder. "Hey," he said, and Naruto stood up and pouted at him.

"The time was almost up!" He whined, and Raiden bopped him lightly on the head.

"Don't whine. Besides – you did pretty good for a first time. If you want to blame anyone - " he grinned, " - blame Satoshi."

"Hey!" The teen yelled, and Raiden and Naruto both laughed. "I'd like to see you do better," he grumbled. Raiden's smile turned predatory.

"Okay then. Just remember, you wished for it."

Raiden waited for Satoshi to go out of sight before he made a move. "Transform!" When the smoke cleared, Naruto gaped. Raiden had turned himself into a woman a bit older than his actual age. Average height, brown hair of an average length, dark brown eyes. She was wearing a modest but expensive-looking dress and civilian sandals.

"What – Raiden?" The woman winked.

"Shhh – call me mom. You're Inari, all right?"

"Um, okay." Raiden then took his hand and led him towards a store. A makeup store.

"Why are we going here?"

"You can't do a transformation jutsu yet, so we're disguising you the old-fashioned way. It's a good skill to have if you want to be a ninja, because some ninja can sense when you use chakra."

"That makes sense," Naruto said, nodding.

"We have to cover up your whisker marks, so we have to find a bit of makeup that will match your skin tone to put over them. And new hair dye, of course – we'll make your hair a little darker than mine. The eyes we can't do much about, as you're still a little young for contacts."

"Okay then," Naruto said. "I'll go along with it, as long as it isn't too itchy."

"Of course," Raiden said, amusement coloring his tone. He went in and headed straight to where they kept their makeup and grabbed the one he always used when he needed to disguise himself. Thankfully, the brand was actually available and in the same spot as it was in the future. It was also fortunate that he had the same skin tone at age six as he did at age eighteen. He also picked up a bottle of hair dye on his way to the checkout.

Once those purchases were made, Raiden took Naruto back to the apartment, dropped the transformation, and washed him off and applied the dye and makeup.

"You look totally different already!" Raiden announced, letting Naruto see himself in the mirror. The boy's eyes widened and he touched his face.

"Woah."

Raiden redid his transformation. "One more thing," he said. "What do you notice about the dress?"

"It looks expensive," Naruto replied.

"And what about your clothes?"

"They're not as expensive and a lot dirtier." His face lit up. "We don't match! I need to change clothes, right?"

"That's right!" Raiden said with a note of approval. "But you don't have really fancy-looking clothes, so we're going to go get some really quickly."

"A-are you sure?" Naruto asked hesitantly. "It's a lot of money..."

"It'll be fine," Raiden said. "I've got plenty." And he could always go catch a couple nukenin if he wanted more.

One new outfit later, Naruto looked like a proper little rich civilian and twenty-seven minutes had passed. It was time to go wander the street. "Naruto – remember, your name is Inari, I'm going to be acting like your mother, and you are going to get to act like a spoiled little kid who's bored out of his mind."

They walked around, Raiden skipping some of the cheaper stalls and staying longer at the more costly booths. Naruto played his part to a tee, scuffing his shoes on the ground and sighing and tugging on Raiden's sleeves, the occasional complaint added in.

At one point Satoshi even bumped into Raiden, but he chewed him out, complaining about 'her' dress and how much it cost, which cowed Satoshi so thoroughly he didn't so much as glance in Naruto's direction and hurried away. Once he'd gotten far enough away, they looked at each other and snickered before continuing along the street. Soon enough, ten minutes was up, and they went back to Naruto's apartment to wait for Satoshi.

"What took you so long?" Naruto asked as soon as they caught a glimpse of Satoshi's red hair. Satoshi looked up and gaped, at which Raiden dropped his transformation.

"That was _you_?" He said incredulously. Naruto burst out laughing, and even Raiden couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"Sure was!"

"I thought I was dead meat!" Satoshi exclaimed, coming closer, and Naruto started laughing as well. And of course, Naruto's laughter was contagious so they were all laughing as they entered the apartment.

Naruto collapsed onto the couch and Raiden and Satoshi both sat down on chairs. It took a while, but eventually they were all calm enough to speak.

"Shall I make dinner, then?" Raiden asked. Satoshi and Naruto nodded, small lines of drool appearing at the corners of their mouths. Raiden laughed before standing and heading into the kitchen. He popped his head back out again a few seconds later.

"If you want to eat tonight, you'd better come in here and help."

* * *

Naruto was at school again and Satoshi was back at work, so Raiden was left alone. He had several options of what to do with his day and was at a loss about what he should do first. House-hunting was a viable option, but so was getting some training in – he hadn't had a proper spar since Danzo. There was also the task of writing down all the different recipes he knew (at least, the ones that were healthy), because he didn't know how good of a cook Satoshi was and he wanted Naruto to get proper nutrition.

He'd start with house-hunting. He'd prefer a house for rent; if they had to move because of additions it would be less of a hassle than trying to re-sell a house. Now where to go for that... the Hokage's office couldn't be the only room in that giant building, right?

So he made his way over to the administrative building, stopping occasionally to look at things he found interesting. There was a store dedicated just to selling umbrellas, who knew?

He was stopped at a candy store, debating whether or not to go inside and get something for Naruto and Satoshi (and maybe indulge his own sweet tooth) when a hand clapped him on the shoulder. Raiden turned to see a man quite a bit bigger than himself – at least 15 cm taller and 10 kg heavier – staring down at him.

"Do you see the sign?" The man asked imperiously.

"What sign?" The man pointed at a sign on the shopfront window. No loitering. Apparently it was a crime to stand in front of the shop?

"Sorry about that," Raiden said, extricating himself from the man's grip. He backed away, but while doing so caught sight of the insignia on the man's shoulder. "Uchiha-san."

The man grunted, giving him a last sharp look, and Raiden looked at the ground, deep in thought, as he continued towards the Hokage tower. The Uchiha were still alive. _Alive_. This was something he needed to deliberate on. From his reckoning of the current date, he still had just over a year before the massacre happened. So at this point the coup was nothing more than whisperings in the dark.

From what Raiden remembered, it was the elders that had been pressuring the clan the hardest to revolt. Any drastic action that would have to be taken would have to happen soon, and it would have to take out the elders of the clan. He didn't want to risk taking the issue to the Hokage, as he was technically a newcomer to the village. Danzo was even more out of the question, as he had supported the Massacre (even going so far as to steal eyes from the corpses) and, of course, there was the teeny-tiny problem of having fought him in Ame...

Well, that would have to wait. He looked up at the round red walls and smiled. It was nice to see it again; this building in which he had spent so much time as a child.

He walked in and stopped at the front desk, which was maybe the third or fourth time he'd done it in his entire life.

"Excuse me," he said politely. "Where would I go to find a property to rent?"

The old lady didn't even look up as she said, "Third door on the left."

"Thanks?" Raiden turned away from the cranky desk lady and made his way to the housing office. Hopefully the person there would be of a better disposition.

As it turned out, he was lucky – the person running the housing office was a younger woman, though still rather no-nonsense. Still, that no-nonsense attitude was beneficial to an office setting, as it translated into greater efficiency. Which was good for everyone, because it took less time to figure things out.

Raiden left only a couple hours later with a folder under his arm and a list of addresses in his hand to check out that he quickly sealed into his belt. He'd do that later, though; he wasn't going to choose a place to live without both Naruto and Satoshi's input. And that would have to wait until both Satoshi and Naruto were free, which wouldn't be for a several hours yet.

Plenty of time to wander around and get re-acquainted with the Leaf Village from his youth. He wasn't overly-familiar with the layout, as it had been almost three years from his perspective since the village had been destroyed by Pain, and he had only been in the village for a couple months before that, having just returned from his training journey with Jiraiya. Not to mention the general change that happened in larger villages constantly.

Up one street, down another – there was the ninja supplies shop! Now that he thought about it, that was where Satoshi was working... had he worked there when Raiden was young? Or was it because of his arrival in this time that he'd decided to come to Konoha?

The next street over was the higher-end shopping district – really only affordable to the really rich civvies and those tokujo or above, so, not something he'd be visiting often. Ooh, that was a nice neighborhood. Going straight past the clan district was a must – the clans didn't move and weren't appreciative of outsiders lurking around their land. Although, he did catch sight of the Uchiha district through the gate opening; that was weird.

After he felt he'd sufficiently reacquainted himself with the village, Raiden decided to peruse the training grounds for a suitable sparring partner. He headed to the nearest one, training ground 9, and heard the distinctive _swish-clink-thud_ that characterized shuriken techniques. Excellent, someone was there.

He made his way to the edge of the clearing and was surprised to see an Uchiha his own age standing in deep concentration, holding several shuriken. The Uchiha's eyes snapped open and he let loose, flinging the shuriken in several different directions, causing them to ricochet into the various targets around the edges of the clearing.

Raiden only noticed at the last second that one was heading for his face and batted it away with the metal plate on the back of his glove.

"Nice," he said, appreciative of the level of skill that went into mastering a jutsu like that. Raiden still had less patience for that sort of thing, preferring to utilize his massive chakra stores and stamina in blunt-force ninjutsu and taijutsu attacks rather than develop the finesse needed for shuriken and other weapon attacks.

"Who are you?" The guy said in an easy-going manner, but Raiden saw the hint of steel in his expression.

"Raiden Uzumaki, here as a messenger from Ame," he said. "Don't worry, I'm legal. I was just looking for someone to spar with while I wait for the Hokage and Council to process the message I was sent with."

The Uchiha's posture relaxed slightly, even though the suspicion hadn't completely disappeared from his eyes. "All right then. I'm Shisui Uchiha. I'm assuming you want to spar right now?"

Shisui... the name sounded familiar...

"That's right," Raiden said, a smile growing on his face. "Don't want to get soft, do I?"

Shisui laughed. "I'll let you warm up. No sense in starting when you're not ready, right?" Raiden nodded, welcoming the banter. He knew he wouldn't be able to rely on nature chakra or any of Kurama's, so he'd warm up properly in order to get the most out of the spar. He had no idea what Shisui was capable of, and wasn't about to underestimate him. That was just asking for a beatdown.

"Any rules?" Raiden asked.

"Taijutsu only?" Shisui suggested. "That way at least there's a smaller chance of us accidentally killing each other."

Raiden nodded. It sounded good to him.

Eventually Raiden was finished warming up, and he and Shusui took up positions on the opposite side of the clearing. A single leaf detached itself from the tree, and as soon as it hit the ground the two of them moved.

There was a blur of fists and feet that lasted barely a second and the two of them separated.

"You're fast," the both of them said at the same time, then grinned at each other. Raiden touched his jaw where a bruise was forming and Shisui wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, then both of them rushed at each other again.

An hour later, the two of them were flopped on the ground. Raiden was grinning and he could hear Shisui laughing breathlessly.

"We have to do this again sometime," Shisui said once they'd rested for a couple of minutes.

"Agreed," Raiden affirmed. "I'm not going to be here for too long, though, a couple more weeks at most."

"That sucks," Shisui said. "Well, come on."

Raiden accepted the hand Shisui was holding out and got pulled into an upright position.

"What's your rank?" Shisui asked, looking at him curiously. Raiden smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Um... I don't have one."

Shisui stopped dead. "What do you mean you don't have one? We were on pretty equal grounds back there, and I'm no lightweight."

"Yeah, you're ANBU, right?" Raiden asked. Shisui gave him a sharp look and Raiden explained hurriedly. "I mean – you're wearing short sleeves, and it's not really hard to see..."

Shisui's suspicion visibly lessened as he replied. "Yeah, I'm ANBU. Which makes it so odd that you're so strong and not ranked." They turned the corner of the street, heading into the village proper.

"Well," Raiden said, getting ready to recount his 'backstory', "I grew up around a lot of missing-nin, and there was one that was my teacher for a while, so I acquired some skills and have been working on them for a while. Not to mention my Uzumaki blood..."

"Yeah, that's right. Uzumaki. Does that mean you have a bloodline, then?" Raiden shrugged.

"Kind of. The Uzumaki clan is really different than a lot of the more traditional clans. We generally have more potent chakra, as well as more chakra in general, which causes us to be more long-lived. There's also the sealing – all Uzumaki have a particular affinity for the sealing arts, so it's more of an instinctual thing. As for bloodlines, well, we don't have a particular bloodline but almost all of the members develop some sort of special ability."

"What's yours?" Shisui asked, his curiosity piqued. Raiden recalled that the Academy didn't really teach anything about the Uzumaki clan.

"Well, that's kind of personal," he informed him, "but I don't mind it. I happen to have a particular affinity for nature chakra – basically, I'm a Sage."

Raiden really enjoyed the way Shisui's jaw dropped. "What – but – ! How old are you?"

"Nineteen." Shisui's eyes bugged out.

"You're the same age as me! And a _Sage_!"

"If it helps, I first learned to fully control my Sage abilities when I was sixteen."

Shisui shook his head. "And they say the _Uchiha_ clan is the strongest... geez." Raiden just laughed.

* * *

The time until Raiden's departure passed in a blur of activity. They were able to decide on a small house to rent, and while Naruto was at school and Satoshi at work Raiden would clean it up and make sure everything worked. Once that was done, he started moving the furniture over, which his seals and shadow clones made infinitely easier.

Moving and cleaning, however, was not an easy task, and so Raiden would take breaks in which he would seek out his new-found friend for a spar or just to hang out while a clone continued the work. It was really a good system.

On day eleven of his stay in Konoha, he returned to the Hokage's office to collect the response to Yahiko's missive. The Hokage gravely informed him that his own response would be given to Raiden just before he left, as he didn't want the letter floating around the village. Raiden gave him a sheepish grin; he'd noticed the ANBU tailing him and figured the Old Man was keeping track of his actions and had inferred that Raiden didn't plan to leave before his visa expired.

* * *

Raiden woke up. The sun was bright, streaming through the gap in the curtains to illuminate a strip of the ceiling. Today was the day he would have to leave, and he was dreading saying goodbye. He marveled at the strength of the attachments he'd formed in his short time.

Satoshi, Naruto – even Shisui. He'd miss them.

He got out of bed and went into the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients for pancakes, which Naruto had shown a particular inclination for. He didn't make them often as they weren't particularly healthy, but he wanted to do as much for Naruto as he could in reparation for his immediate departure.

The sleepy boy soon stumbled into the kitchen, shortly followed by a yawning but slightly more awake Satoshi.

"Mm, smells good," Satoshi said, and Naruto perked up as he caught the scent of breakfast.

"You made pancakes? Yes!" Raiden smiled, flipping three at once onto a plate and handing it to Naruto, who set it on the table and promptly drowned it in syrup. He sighed. Satoshi chuckled and got his own plate and proceeded to do the exact same thing.

Well. If he couldn't beat them, he might as well join them, right? He sat with a small stack of his own, leaving the pan on the cooling stove.

"I have to leave today," Raiden announced abruptly. "I have to deliver something back to Ame. I'll probably be gone for a few weeks, at least, before I come back here."

Naruto's eyes were shiny, and Satoshi frowned.

"Do you have to go, Raiden?" He asked. Raiden reached over and ruffled his hair.

"I'm afraid I do, Naruto," he said. "But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it. And if you have any trouble, just go to Satoshi. He's pretty cool too, ya know."

Still, it was awfully quiet for the rest of the time until Naruto left for school. Satoshi helped him clean up from breakfast, and then punched his shoulder. "You better come back, you hear?" He said purposefully, then left for his own job.

Raiden made his way over to the Hokage's tower and then up to the Old Man's office; he needed to get the details of the mission and he assumed that there would be a small party of Leaf Ninja accompanying him as well that he would have to meet.

Sure enough, once he actually entered the office he was introduced to the three ninja that were to go along with him. Two were a couple years older; he recognized them faintly from the Fourth War – Aoba Yamashiro and Raido Namiashi. The third was younger, maybe even younger than Raiden was – he'd been the proctor for the third stage of the genin exam. Hayate-something.

"I have assigned Namiashi-san, Yamashiro-san, and Hayate-san will be traveling with you to Ame as added security and a show of good faith. I hope this will not prove a problem?" The Hokage asked gravely.

"Should be fine," Raiden replied.

"Then here is your message," he said, handing Raiden a rather surprisingly thick scroll. Raiden accepted it and slipped it into his pocket.

"That's it?" He asked. The Hokage nodded, looking faintly amused.

"That's it."

"Well, guys," Raiden said, turning to the three ninja behind him, "ready to go?" The three of them looked at each other and then turned back to him and nodded, a bit confused at his rather unprofessional behavior. "All right then. Follow me."

Raiden walked all the way to the gate, where he waved to the guards at the security station cheekily. He looked back – good, they were all right behind him.

"Okay then," he started, turning around so he could walk and speak to them at the same time. "As you probably already know, I'm Raiden Uzumaki, and we're delivering an important document to Ame, which I am a citizen of. We can probably make it there in about four days if we keep a good pace."

"Sounds good to me," Aoba said. "I'm Aoba Yamashiro, by the way."

"Raido Namiashi."

"And I'm Gekko Hayate. It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san."

"Please, just call me Raiden. I never was one for formalities." They nodded their assent. "...What do you all think about staying in Tanzaku tonight? I know it's got a reputation, but it's got really nice places to stay."

Aoba and Raido grinned; Hayate looked faintly disapproving. He'd learn.

* * *

Raiden got them checked into a hotel easily, one only needed a bit of cash to speed things up and they got two decent rooms. Nothing fancy, but they had separate beds and the rooms weren't too costly. They'd made it there earlier than Raiden had expected, however, so he decided to add to his stock of money. He'd burned all the money he'd had from the future, literally burning it, as in charred to ashes, as he didn't want to get labeled as a counterfeiter – after all, the date was wrong on the bills – and so he was running a little short on cash, especially after setting aside most of the rent money for the apartment in Konoha.

He knocked on the door to the other room – he and Hayate were together in one room, the other was Aoba and Raido – and stuck his head in. "Anyone want some quick cash?" He asked. "I've never lost a game of chance, so if you want some money come now. We've still got a couple hours to burn."

The two of them stood and followed him out. "What about the scroll?" Hayate asked, appearing from the other room. Raiden grinned.

"Don't worry about it – it's sealed into my belt. And trust me, I'm no civilian." So the four of them went out to one of the gambling halls. Raiden was really the only one who did any betting or actual playing, but he shared the profits equally with the other three, on the grounds that they were his 'moral support'.

It wasn't long until he found himself participating in a game of poker with several other people. The game was about to begin when someone sat across the table from him.

"I'd like to play too," he heard, and looked up from the table to see none other than Tsunade. He stood quickly, nearly toppling his chair.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He said, before remembering that Tsunade wasn't actually the Hokage at that point in time (he didn't know why he didn't remember – he'd seen the Third just that morning).

She looked at him critically. "Do I know you?"

He sat back down, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Not really... I've heard of you, though... "

"Well, get ready to be disappointed, kid, whatever you've heard about me probably isn't true." She picked up her hand and the game began. A smile grew on Raiden's face.

"How about this – if I win, you talk to me. If I lose, I won't ever bother you again."

"I take that bet," Tsunade said confidently. "I'm not going to lose – I've already won something today, and my luck runs in streaks."

So they played, and to nobody's surprise, Raiden was the winner. Tsunade growled and smacked the table. "What do you want to talk about then – if I don't want to talk about it, I'm leaving, and if you try to follow me I'll smack you black and blue."

"Calm down, baa-chan," Raiden said, and winced as her killer intent formed a visible aura around her. Lucky for him, Shizune appeared right at that moment.

"Tsunade-sama," she hissed, "You have to calm down!" The aura subsided, and Raiden chanced a glance back at his temporary teammates. They were wide-eyed, impressed at whatever he'd just exhibited – even Raiden himself wasn't sure if it was daring or just plain stupidity.

"Let's go somewhere more private and talk. And I mean that in the most literal way, as right here is rather crowded and noisy and doesn't smell all too great." So Raiden led their small group back to the hotel room they'd gotten for the night, collecting his tall stack of cash on his way out of the gambling hall. Shizune and Tsunade sat on the edge of one of the beds, Hayate and himself on another, and Aoba and Raido on chairs.

"Can you tell me... about Mito?" Raiden asked.

"Mito?" Tsunade's face was a mask of confusion. "Why... oh. That red hair – you're an Uzumaki, aren't you?"

"Sure am!" Raiden said proudly. "And you are too, aren't you? At least a little bit. She was your grandmother, right, Tsunade of the Sannin?" Hayate gasped and Raido and Aoba stilled – they apparently hadn't recognized her either. Maybe they were expecting her to look older...

She let out a huff of amusement. "That's all it is, then? Fine, I'll tell you a few stories."

Raiden listened, enraptured, as he heard about one of his ancestors for the first time. It was illuminating; he learned several aspects of Uzumaki culture he hadn't heard about before – including something about a Temple of Masks.

Aoba and Raido left about halfway through the story-telling, but as Hayate was sleeping in the room they were in, he sat and listened.

Eventually, though, the clock struck eleven and Raiden had to interrupt – they had to be up early the next day, as the next leg of their journey was the longest and would take the most time to travel. Tsunade and Shizune left, and as Shizune passed Raiden she hugged him and thanked him, saying, "She hasn't looked so - well, happy isn't the right word – maybe at peace? in a long time."

After they left, he sprawled out on his bed, exhausted. It had been an exciting day – meeting a new team, several hours of travel, a couple hours of gambling resulting in a hefty addition to his wallet, a small but explosive confrontation with a wayward relative, and a wealth of stories about a prominent member of his clan. Not bad.

The next day, as expected, started quite early, none of the ninja suffering in any way from the excitement of the night before, thanks to Raiden's watch on the time and refusal to let them touch any alcohol.

They traveled most of the day, stopping only for the occasional bathroom break as well as a break for lunch. They ended up camping that night, stopping to set up camp just before it got dark.

A small fire jutsu got the fire started, and Raiden pulled out some soup flavoring packets and a pot from the seals on his belt. Aoba caught a couple of rabbits, Hayate got some water, and they made stew.

"Wow, Raiden," Aoba said. "Do you just put everything into your seals?"

Raiden laughed self-consciously. "Well, kind of," he admitted. "When I first got to Konoha I went to deliver the message to the Hokage and I couldn't find it – it took me several hours to sort through all the stuff I had in here before I remembered I'd put it in my actual pocket for convenience."

They laughed at him then; even Raido, who was unusually taciturn, cracked a smile.

They slept soon after that; Raiden set up security seals around the campsite so only one person would have to stand watch at a time.

The next morning they decided not to sleep in; the sooner they left, the sooner they would arrive in Ame the day after.

They spent the day similar to the one previous; not too much talking, all of them intent on getting to Ame as soon as possible.

The fourth day of travel was the one in which they would arrive in Amegakure. The night before, the landscape had begun to transition, becoming less forested and more flat. Raiden cautioned them as they approached.

"It gets quite slick here sometimes, as it rains so much and there's a lot of mud, so watch your step." He pulled out a waterproofed cloak from his seal and wrapped it around his shoulders. He looked at his companions, who all looked a bit travel-weary and confused, and pulled out a scroll from a seal on his belt and opened it, looking through all the different storage seals.

He made a sound of triumph and held up another scroll, unsealing a further four waterproof cloaks from the scroll, re-sealing one and handing out the three to the Leaf ninja. "Put them on, you're gonna want them when it rains."

And not twenty minutes after that is started pouring. Raiden put his hood up, looking back at his companions who were all looking very grateful and very dry under the hoods of their own cloaks.

Barely an hour after it had started raining, Raiden began to see the jagged skyline emerge on the horizon.

"We're getting close, guys," he said. "Don't worry about security – you're with me, so you'll be let in no problem." Aoba and Raiden nodded, but Hayate looked a little concerned.

"But – we're ninja from a different village, and we're carrying weapons. Why would being with you make a difference, especially since there are three of us and only one of you?"

Raiden smirked. "It doesn't make a difference because they know if you made a move against me or the leader, you would all be incapacitated in a split-second." He said this innocently, with barely a touch of killing intent, which didn't really reassure Hayate in the slightest. Raiden knew none of the members of the team had seen any of his advanced skills – they knew he could use chakra to augment his muscles and climb on trees and use storage seals, but those were among the most basic of a shinobi's skills. They would be in for a rude awakening if he ever did decide to exhibit some of his more impressive jutsu.

"Just follow me and you'll be fine."

They made it to the small city easily enough and were stopped at the gates by a couple of guards. Raiden dropped his hood and flashed his ID.

"Sorry, Raiden," one said.

"We didn't know it was you," the other explained.

"That's fine," he replied. "It's good; it shows you're taking your job seriously." The guards beamed, and Raiden knew the Leaf ninja were watching his interactions with a close eye. "They're with me," he added, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb at the three bedraggled-looking figures that were the rest of his team.

"Well then, welcome back," the first guard said, and Raiden entered the village. He turned back to his temporary teammates. He spread his arms out as if to encompass the view of the city.

"Welcome to Amegakure."

* * *

 **AN: Fair warning, this story is being put on the backburner until I finish my Blue Exorcist fic (which I'm really excited about), so I may not update next month...but then again, I frequently surprise myself, so who knows?**


	5. Chapter 5: Alliance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Raiden was enjoying the discreet looks his companions were giving their surroundings; Ame had a very particular infrastructure and feel wholly unlike that of Konoha and most of the rest of the Hidden Villages – at least that he knew of, he'd hadn't actually ever visited Kiri or Iwa but he imagined they were more similar to Konoha rather than Ame.

He took the scenic route to the central office building as he was inordinately proud of the city, despite having not lived there for long, and he wished to show off a bit in front of the Leaf ninja. He noted himself that though it was pouring rain, the people didn't seem as weighed down as the time he had left just over two weeks previously. It seemed as if his cousin and Yahiko and Konan really had improved things in such a short period of time.

They arrived at the administrative building – the tallest and most centrally located – and Raiden ushered in the three Leaf ninja before entering himself.

He walked up to the front desk, manned by one of the younger men he recognized from the camp, when the Akatsuki were still considered rebels.

"Hey, guess what!" He said, hood still up. The ninja behind the desk squinted, trying to figure out who would talk to him so familiarly.

"Is that you, Raiden?" Raiden threw back his hood, scattering rain drops all over the floor - not that it didn't already have wet footprints all over it.

"I'm back!" He said, striking a dramatic pose. He took in the man's glance backwards and added, "These guys are with me."

"All righty then, you'll want floor seventeen." The man waved them on and Raiden took them to the elevator, where they waited awkwardly until they reached the correct floor. After a rattling stop, the doors opened and the four of them stepped out into a rather domestic scene.

Yahiko was asleep, his head resting on a pile of papers. Nagato was sprawled out on a couch, reading a book – Tale of a Gutsy Shinobi, Raiden realized – and Konan was drinking a mug of tea and trying to balance a different book on Yahiko's head. Raiden was rather forcefully reminded that despite what the three of them had been through, they were all still only in their late twenties and entitled to a bit of fun now and again. It was just unfortunate that it was the first impression the Konoha nin were getting.

"Oi!" Raiden said. "I'm back!" Nagato deliberately placed a bookmark in his book and closed it, but Konan drew back and pretended like she'd been doing paperwork as Yahiko's head jerked up, causing the book to fall on his hand.

"Ow!" Yahiko stood, shaking his hand; apparently the corner of the book had stabbed the back of it. Nagato put his book up in front of his mouth, obviously hiding a smile, but Konan's face was impassive.

"Hello, Raiden," she said, as if him returning from a foreign country with guests with said country was a common occurrence, which was rather impressive when one considered she'd just been caught doing something so childish. Nagato closed his book softly, laying it on the table, and came to stand in front of him.

"It's nice to have you back," he said. "Did you get the response from the Hokage?"

"Obviously he did," Yahiko interrupted loudly. "That was his mission, after all, and what other reason would there be to have a bunch of Konoha shinobi right behind him?"

"It was supposed to be a polite reminder, Yahiko," Nagato replied in a long-suffering tone. "Because it's kind of important and I really want to know so we can plan." Yahiko huffed, one of his eyebrows twitching.

Raiden snickered. It seemed being the leaders of a country had done nothing to dampen their spirits. In fact, it was the very opposite; apparently it was far less taxing to lead a country than a rebellion - especially since the country seemed to be doing rather well.

"Who are you, anyway?" He asked, looking straight at the Konoha ninja. Raiden hurried to introduce them.

"Aoba Yamashiro, Raido Namiashi, and Gekko Hayate," he said, pointing to each one in turn. Once they had been named, he turned and pointed to each of the Ame nin. "And that hothead's Yahiko, the lady is Konan, and the redhead is my cousin Nagato." With introductions over, Nagato led them over to a large table in another part of the room.

"All right," Yahiko said. "Time for business. Raiden?"

Raiden pulled the scroll the Hokage had given him out of his pocket and tossed it over. Yahiko unrolled it and started to read aloud.

" _To the leaders of Amegakure:_

" _The village of Konoha gladly welcomes your offer of alliance. We apologize for any damages we have caused you in the past and promise that as long as this alliance stands, we will stand for no damages to be caused to your village by ours and will aid you in the case that damage is done to you by others._

" _I humbly request a meeting between us to work out more fully and specifically the details of this agreement._

" _Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato._ "

Raiden noticed the relieved looks on the faces of his friends and allies. He'd never doubted that the Old Man would agree to an alliance, but he understood the three Ame leaders' skepticism after the fight with Hanzo and Root. The Leaf nin were looking less stressed too. He didn't understand why they would be nervous in the first place, as Ame was the one who had reached out originally for help – if they had hurt the Leaf nin it would only hurt them – and if the Hokage had declined the alliance they wouldn't have been sent at all, the Old Man would have only sent Raiden back.

"So, what do you think?" He asked expectantly.

The three Ame nin just looked at each other. Barely a second later, Yahiko turned to him and said, "We're going to Konoha."

* * *

Raiden walked over to Ichiraku's Ramen; he hadn't had the opportunity to indulge for a couple weeks and missed it. It was just a bonus that Naruto and Satoshi were there – that red hair and blonde mop were unmistakable. As was the pile of bowls stacked on the counter between them.

"Hey! A miso for me, extra-large!" Raiden called, sitting next to Naruto and looking down at him with a grin.

"Raiden!" Naruto exclaimed, and Satoshi leaned forward to look past their younger relative. "You're back!"

"That was quick," Satoshi remarked. "I was expecting you to be gone a lot longer, closer to a couple months than only three weeks."

"Well, it wasn't really all that difficult or time-consuming," Raiden admitted. "The leadership is mostly just Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan right now, with the remainder of the rebel officers running the day-to-day things, so they read the missive, accepted it, and made sure everything would be fine while they were gone before coming here to discuss particulars."

Raiden's ramen was placed in front of him and he inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of it, before digging in.

"All you Uzumaki," Ichiraku said. "You love your ramen." Raiden nodded whole-heartedly, mouth full.

"Wait..." Naruto said, puzzled. "Our cousin – he's one of the leaders – Nagato, right?"

Raiden swallowed. "Yeah."

"Can I meet him?" Raiden tilted his head, pondering. On one hand, the two of them were prominent political figures, and he didn't know how the council would react to Naruto becoming close to the leader of a different country, albeit a soon-to-be allied country. And it was possible that Nagato would figure out just what made Naruto so special – at least, the jinchuuriki aspect – and that could spell trouble. On the other hand, it would be criminal of him to refuse both Naruto and Nagato a chance to meet another member of their family. Yeah, there wasn't really a decision to make.

"I'll introduce you to all of them as soon as they get out of their meeting with the Hokage."

* * *

While waiting for the Ame ninja to get out of their meeting, the three Uzumaki sat and chatted at Ichiraku's, the man himself occasionally butting in with a comment of his own. Raiden told them all about meeting Tsunade – which reminded him to start researching that mask temple – and about the scene Yahiko, Konan and Nagato had demonstrated in front of the impressionable Leaf ninja. He then was able to hear all about Naruto's classes and how the teachers didn't appreciate his 'awesome prank'.

Satoshi had then reminded Naruto that most people wouldn't consider putting itching powder in someone's underclothes 'awesome'. He then wrinkled his eyebrows together and made an offhand remark.

"Some guy named Shisui stopped by while you were gone," he said. "He was looking for you, but I told him he would have to ask the Hokage about it."

Raiden was mortified. "I forgot to tell him when I left..."

"So you know him, then?" Satoshi asked, raising an eyebrow. Raiden wondered if deadpan humor was an Uzumaki thing; Nagato exhibited the same expression whenever Yahiko did something stupid and tried to defend himself.

"Yeah, he was my sparring partner while I was here – I might even go so far as to call him a friend."

"He's an Uchiha, though," Naruto pointed out. "They're all super-strong, right? That's so cool."

"Yeah, I just feel bad about not telling him..." Raiden said sheepishly. "I'll find him later and apologize."

They kept talking for another hour, but it was the middle of the afternoon, between lunch and dinner, so they didn't have to leave.

"They should be done by now," Raiden said. "I'll lead you to where they're staying, and we'll see if they're there."

It turned out they were; Raiden had to state his name at the front desk before they were allowed up. He entered the room onto a familiar scene. Yahiko was, once again, asleep; but this time so was Konan. With any luck, Yahiko would avoid any new bruises for the day. Nagato was still reading his book, though he was much farther along than when Raiden had last seen him reading it.

He looked up as they entered, Raiden making a 'shush' sign back at Satoshi and Naruto so as not to wake the two sleepers. Nagato got up and shooed them out, leaving as well and closing the door softly behind them.

"What's up, Raiden?" He asked, leaning against the door. Raiden beamed.

"I'd like to introduce you to Satoshi and Naruto Uzumaki," he said, "Naruto being the blonde pipsqueak." Naruto pouted, making Nagato smile.

"Nice to meet you both," he said. "I'm Nagato, another one of your cousins."

"We know that already 'cause Raiden told us that. He said you're really strong, too – can you show us? I bet you've got some awesome ninjutsu techniques, man, I'm so jealous. I don't know any ninjutsu techniques because the Academy said I'm too young to learn 'em." Naruto babbled, not stopping for a breath until the very end. Nagato looked a bit bewildered at the flood of words, and Satoshi let out a snigger.

"Um, yes, I think; and... I'm sorry?"

"It's fine, man," Satoshi said. "I've lived with him for weeks and I still don't know what he's talking about half the time."

"Let's go outside," Nagato suggested. "I mean, I don't mind standing against a wall talking for hours, but I think you would all prefer to be outside? Also, Naruto asked to see some techniques, and most of mine aren't exactly what you'd call building-friendly." Naruto's eyes had stars in them and he made a beeline to the door to the staircase.

"Come on," he exclaimed when he saw they hadn't yet moved and were just watching him in amusement. "I want to see!"

Raiden and Nagato looked at each other, then glanced towards Satoshi and then Naruto. Raiden jerked his head minutely in the direction of the window at the end of the hall, to which Nagato responded with a nod.

They raced towards the window, Raiden opening it and climbing out, Nagato following immediately after. Raiden poked his head back through and said, "See you at the bottom!"

He dropped down to the sidewalk – they had been staying on the second floor – besides Nagato, who was smiling.

"How mad did they look?" He asked.

"We'll see in a minute," Raiden replied, no small amount of humor in his voice. But it was barely ten seconds before Naruto came bursting out of the front doors, Satoshi close behind, annoyance written all over their faces.

"What are you so mad about?" Raiden asked. "We promised we'd show you some of our moves."

Naruto's demeanor changed abruptly, and Satoshi's tense expression relaxed a bit.

"To the training grounds!" Naruto yelled, running off. The three redheads left behind all had different reactions. One sighed, one smiled bemusedly, and the last laughed loudly before all three jogged off after the blonde little boy.

* * *

They caught up to Naruto quickly; he was, after all, only a child, and they were all quite a bit older – but then they slowed to a walk. Naruto was impatient, trying to hurry them along, but it was much more fun to walk at a sedate pace and watch his frustrated attempts. That did, however, lead to an interruption of their journey to the training grounds.

With only the slightest whiff of air as a warning, Shisui joined them.

"Hey, Raiden," he said conversationally. Nagato had stiffened a little, his hand hovering near his hip, but the best reaction was from Naruto, who had been tugging at Satoshi's sleeve.

"Gaah! Where did _you_ come from? And who _are_ you?" He yelled.

Raiden chuckled as Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Come on, kid, use your eyes. You're living in a ninja village, remember? See this headband!"

Naruto looked defensive. "I knew that!"

"So where do you think I came from?"

"Um... the village?"

"And he gets it! Good job, kid, I'm Shisui Uchiha," he said, introducing himself, nodding to Satoshi and Nagato in turn. He turned to Raiden. "Hello, sparring buddy, nice to see you again, especially after your rather _abrupt_ departure."

Raiden winced. He really had been in the wrong on that account, but hey, making assumptions wasn't the smartest thing to do as a ninja, right? Ah, who was he kidding.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "It's just – I had to go tell this guy – " He pointed back an Nagato with his thumb. "And bring him over here for some, uh, business... that's Nagato, by the way, and you've met Satoshi, haven't you?"

Nagato nodded politely, whereas Satoshi just stuck his hands in his pockets, having finally freed his sleeve from Naruto's grasp.

"We were just about to go spar – well, Nagato and I were," Raiden added, seeing the rather awkward display. "Want to join us?"

Shisui looked over Nagato critically. He didn't look like much, Raiden knew, with his long hair covering one eye and his shy posture and generally quiet demeanor, not to mention the cloak that hid his wiry frame. Shisui was no doubt going to underestimate him – it would be fun to see his reaction to Nagato's crazy jutsu.

"Sure, I'll join you," Shisui accepted with a smile. "So long as there's no teaming up."

So maybe he was a little more wary than Raiden gave him credit for. But still – he hadn't ever seen _anything_ like Nagato's jutsu before, so there was no possible way he'd be able to counter all of them in just one short spar.

"Sure," he accepted. Like he wasn't going to play dirty. "Just let me draw a barrier around those two, I don't want them dying on me."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Shisui agreed with a wry grin.

With that established, Raiden proceeded to draw a box around Satoshi and Naruto, who stopped bickering as he approached.

"What's the line for, Raiden?" Naruto asked curiously, going to poke it with his toe.

"It's an invisible fence," he answered, placing seal tags on each corner. "It will stop any jutsu debris from hitting you – but if you try to cross it, it will shock you." Naruto's toe was quickly pulled back and Raiden winked at Satoshi, eliciting a laugh.

"Good luck!" Satoshi called as Raiden walked away. He turned back around.

"I won't need it!"

"I was talking to Shisui!" Satoshi said back, and Shisui looked confused.

"What?"

"Never mind," Raiden said. "Let's get started already!"

The three ninja faced off in a triangular formation. A leaf fell from a nearby tree. A gentle breeze blew through the training ground, and Raiden slid his gaze sideways to Nagato. The leaf hit the ground.

Raiden and Nagato both sprang at Shisui, who disappeared. Nagato immediately braced himself, grabbed Raiden's foot, and flipped him back towards Shisui's new position. He threw a rain of kunai, which popped Raiden's clone and continued on towards Nagato.

"Shinra tensei!" The kunai all dropped.

"What the – what was that? And I thought I said no ganging up!"

Nagato shrugged and Raiden grinned. "We're ninja, aren't we?"

"In that case... hey, Nagato. Wanna go after Raiden?"

He shrugged again. "Sure."

And the fight resumed, this time with Raiden and his clones on the defensive against Shisui and Nagato. When his clones managed to separate the two, he fared well enough but when the two of them worked together it was rather difficult – they weren't using any lethal jutsu, and most of Raiden's arsenal was on the more powerful side and thus he wasn't able to use them.

Despite the jutsu restriction, there was still some heavy chakra usage from all three of them. A lot of the elemental jutsu, while powerful, could be decreased in force while still remaining flashy.

Doton and suiton jutsu were used liberally by both Nagato and Raiden, the latter also using random futon jutsu that scattered the newly-created mud everywhere. And Shisui's katon weren't helping any; it just hardened the mud into a second skin that hindered their movement.

And then Yahiko and Konan showed up.

"What's all this about?" Konan asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were supposed to keep a lower profile – you know, _not_ destroy the training grounds of another village?"

Nagato looked away, an embarrassed blush high on his cheeks. Raiden let out a feeble laugh, but Shisui grinned.

"It's fine, I'm supervising."

Konan just surveyed the area, looking unimpressed. Yahiko was trying – and failing – to hide his amusement.

Satoshi and Naruto were both sitting inside the box on the ground. The three combatants were plastered with dried mud, and the training grounds were unrecognizable.

"Supervising. Right." She sighed and shook her head. "Anyway – Nagato, the Hokage wants to meet with us again, this time with the council as well. So go get cleaned up, we're heading over in a few minutes."

"Right. Thanks for the spar, guys."

He left with Konan and Yahiko, leaving Shisui and Raiden with Satoshi and Naruto. Raiden looked at Shisui questioningly. "So... yeah... "

"That was pretty fun," Shisui said, following him to the barrier confining Satoshi and Naruto. "Who were those people, anyways? I mean, the guy was obviously related to you – that hair's a dead giveaway, but who were they? He was wearing an Ame headband."

"Er – well, the whole reason I was in Konoha in the first place was because I was sent as an emissary to start a treaty process – I was sent because I'm strong enough and close enough to the new leaders – all three of which you just saw." Raiden knelt to retrieve the tags; Satoshi and Naruto were just watching, waiting for Shisui's reaction.

Shisui stopped dead. "You mean that guy was one of the new _leaders of Ame?_ "

* * *

Raiden watched Shisui's retreating form a moment longer, realizing his time to do something about the Uchiha was running out.

But how to alert the Hokage about it? Though his position as an outsider helped him find members of his clan more easily, it sacrificed his relationship with the Hokage. The Old Man wouldn't trust him about something this huge – he would, of course, check up on it – but he would then wonder how he knew, and that wasn't something that would be easily proved.

Unless – if he did tell the Old Man, and the Old Man became truly suspicious, then he would call Inoichi to go through his memories. And if that happened, the Old Man would know that he was telling the truth. And he might even be able to develop a relationship with the Old Man once again.

But first, he'd have to think of a way to approach the Old Man without suspicion, otherwise he might not even get an interview with Inoichi. How to structure it though...

"Hey, Raiden. HEY!"

He was pulled abruptly back into the present by Naruto's exasperated shouting.

"Huh, what? Were you saying something?"

Naruto growled. "Yeah, I was! I was asking why you were looking at Shisui so funny!"

"I was?"

"Yeah, you were," Satoshi said, looking at him askance. "It was a little bit... weird."

"Weird? No, I just... No! Not like that! I was just spacing out, he just reminded me of something! That's it! That's all!"

"Oh. Okay then, that makes sense. Like, sometimes I'll be listening to Iruka-sensei, but then it'll be boring so I'm just staring for a really long time..." Naruto chattered on, relieving the awkwardness of the conversation.

* * *

The council meeting was awful.

That was a lie. The council meeting wasn't really terrible; it was just really _boring_. Seriously, he hadn't ever known that there were so many ways to restate the same arguments over and over. There were so many other things he could be doing with his time!

The meeting eventually came to a close, however, with the outcome looking favorable – the council was at least considering the alliance. They were still debating – how could they _possibly_ need more time – but it was mostly decided. And now there was an opportunity to tell the Hokage about what was going to happen.

"Er – Lord Third," he said. "I have a question about something... it has to do with a mysterious addition to Ame's forces. I wouldn't have mentioned it, but, well, I saw someone at the council meeting today, and they looked awfully similar to someone I fought while we were still combating Hanzou."

The Old Man's eyes widened.

"Come with me, then." He turned to the other three Ame nin. "Did you also see these ninja, who were fighting alongside Hanzou?"

Yahiko made a face, trying to remember. It cleared suddenly. "Yeah," he said. "There were these guys in masks, they didn't look like Hanzou's other men. But they were wearing Ame hitai-ate, so I didn't think too much of it at the time."

"Is there anything else you remember about the other ninja?"

Konan and Nagato both answered in the negative.

"Then I shall speak to Raiden alone. Will that be acceptable to you?"

"It will, Hokage-sama," Konan answered. She turned to Raiden. "Don't be disrespectful, Raiden. And don't be late for dinner, either."

He gave her what he was almost certain was a reassuring grin. "I'll be fine. See ya later!"

After one last hesitant look, they three of them left, and Raiden was left alone with the Hokage. He followed him silently to his office, where the door and window were sealed shut.

"Who was the person you recognized on the council, Uzumaki Raiden?" His voice was stern, his posture firm; this was the Hokage. Not the Old Man. Raiden inhaled raggedly.

"It was Danzo, Hokage-sama. The man with the bandaged eye and the scarred chin. That man was pretending to be one of Hanzou's officers; when I knocked him out the transformation released. I left him there, because I knew I couldn't kill a Konoha nin because of our wish for a treaty but I was not aware of his political standing. I assumed he was acting of his own volition, as he was the only one there that I saw who was openly affiliated with Konoha. That is all I have to say on that matter, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage had turned during Raiden's explanation and was facing out the window.

"Thank you for your forthcomingness, Uzumaki-san. I will take care of the situation. You may be dismissed."

Raiden, however, didn't move. It was now or never.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I have noticed another certain issue pertaining to this village."

The Hokage turned; his stiff posture had turned from stern to foreboding. "Be careful how you tread."

Raiden winced. That was not a good sign. "I meant no offense, Hokage-sama. But I also believe that you would like to keep your most prominent clan in this village."

"Uzumaki, you are very close to overstepping certain boundaries. Do not – "

"It doesn't matter – you have to listen!" Raiden exclaimed tersely. This was more important. If he died from disrespecting the Hokage, that would be tragic, yes, but he had started the gathering of the Uzumaki, and now that Nagato was set on the right path and fully aware of his heritage he could take over if he died. But this was bigger than just one life, even if it was his own.

"Your precious Uchiha clan is about to be massacred! If things keep going the way they are, they will be gone in less than a year! All except for one little boy, who will be haunted by the memories of his past, his parents and family killed by his older brother."

A cold pressure filled the room, and Raiden was startled when he realized it was killing intent emanating from the old man in front of him.

"How do you know this?" The quiet, gravelly voice asked.

"Because I have lived it," an equally quiet, low voice answered. The cold pressure lessened, tinged with a sense of surprise.

"You have lived it? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly that, Old Man. I'm afraid I haven't been the most forthcoming about my origins to you. It's true that I am an Uzumaki, and it's true that I am now an Ame citizen and Nagato's cousin, and it's true that I helped in the freeing of Ame, and it's true what I said about Danzo. But I wasn't born nineteen years ago." He gave a wry grin. "Technically, if we were to consult a calendar, the day I was born was only about six years ago."

The Hokage's eyes widened. "You – but... how?"

"The Uzumaki were known for their fuuinjutsu, were they not? Most people don't even know the surface of what the Uzumaki could do, but sealing – it was more like a bloodline than just a talent. There are some things that only Uzumaki could do – including creating seals that enabled the user to traverse time and space."

The Old Man actually sat down in his chair. "If I understand this correctly, then, you are really Uzumaki _Naruto_ , come from over a decade into the future, to do – what, exactly?"

"To fix things," Raiden answered simply. "And it's Raiden now, Old Man."

"You – you're so... you've truly grown, Raiden."

"Well of course I have, you didn't think I'd be short forever, did you? Geez, Old Man, it's nice to know you thought I'd be a shrimp my whole life!"

The Old Man smiled warmly. "And in other ways, you're still the same."

He turned serious. "You do understand, though – I'll have to have Inoichi-san check your memories, right?"

"Of course, Old Man, I'm not gonna fight it. I'll let you know it all. But you really should do something about Danzo and the Uchiha, or it's not going to end well, I promise you that."

"Thank you, Raiden, I will." He stood to look outside the window and repeated his previous statement. "I will."

* * *

Dinner was an interesting affair. Yahiko and Konan had briefly met Naruto and Satoshi after the spar, but wanted to know more about them. And that was how Raiden ended up cooking a meal for six people, as Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato had invited themselves to the house, much to Raiden's surprise and slight disgruntlement. He wished he'd had advance notice, because then he could have prepared a really nice dinner, but he'd had to make do with what was already in the fridge which, also surprisingly, was decently stocked. He'd thanked Satoshi then immediately shanghaied him into helping cook before Nagato came to take his place. Which was a good thing, because his mind was rather occupied with thoughts of the Uchiha and Nagato prevented charred food more than once.

"What's on your mind, Raiden? You seem unusually distracted – I don't think I've ever seen you almost burn food before."

Raiden debated how to answer. " _Kurama? You got any ideas?_ "

He waited a moment. No answer. " _Kurama?_ "

No answer still, and Raiden realized his breathing was starting to quicken and he still hadn't answered Nagato's question. "I, uh – the Hokage said something, he wanted to know whether he could see the memory of the fight with Hanzo... I agreed."

There. That was a plausible explanation for his nervousness. It gave him a reason to go see Inoichi, too, without anyone freaking out about getting interrogated.

Nagato set down the knife he'd been using to chop vegetables. "Are you sure you want to do this, Raiden? You don't have to, you know."

He breathed deeply. "You're right that I don't really want to," - _though not for reasons that you'd expect_ \- "but I have to. From what the Hokage explained, this man could be dangerous to Naruto. And if my memory increases the chances that he won't be able to get to Naruto, it's worth it."

"Is there any particular reason he would be after Naruto?" Nagato asked quietly, going back to chopping vegetables.

"He's nine," Raiden answered after a moment. Nagato furrowed his brow.

"I thought you said he was six."

"He is. But he's _the_ _nine_."

Raiden waited; it was just seconds later that Nagato's face cleared and he let out a soft _'oh'_ of understanding. Raiden took the cutting board from Nagato and scraped the now-diced vegetables into a pan. "I won't interfere, then, Raiden. Just... be careful, okay?"

Raiden's heart warmed at the concern in Nagato's voice. "When have I ever not been careful?"

* * *

 **AN: Yes, there is something going on with Kurama. If you've ever read The Lost Files of the Lorien Legacies, you might have an idea... sadly, it seems as if not many people have. If not, you'll live.**


	6. Chapter 6: Jinchuriki

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

 **AN: I decided to just say screw the timeline.**

* * *

"Well, we're off – be good for the Hokage, Raiden," Yahiko said with a grin. Raiden scoffed.

"When have I ever not been?" Nagato hid a smile at that, and Konan sighed.

"Well, come back soon. Even if you are our ambassador now." Raiden nodded at Konan's request. Of course he would – Naruto would survive without him for a couple weeks – he'd done it before, and with Satoshi keeping an eye out he'd be fine.

He watched as their forms faded down the road – he was the only one, since Satoshi had work and Naruto had the Academy, though the two had said their goodbyes earlier. It was time to prepare for Inoichi's mind jutsu, now, something he wasn't looking forward to – especially since he was already tired and felt a bit ill.

* * *

Sarutobi watched carefully the faces of all he was passing. The expressions were primarily curiosity and wonder, in the children especially, but occasionally there was a moment of wariness and a glint of anger in dark eyes. He knew the ANBU at his shoulders were noting carefully those who expressed more negative emotions, however briefly they appeared.

He continued on to the clan head's house; Fugaku was no doubt waiting impatiently to see what he wanted. He wouldn't be disappointed. After all, he was here on Raiden's advice – and what a surprise _that_ revelation had been – to work things out, straightforwardly, before they escalated into something irreparable.

He arrived at his doorstep soon after and waited until the door slid open – there was no need to knock when his chakra announced his presence adequately enough.

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama," Mikoto said kindly. "Thank you for coming."

"Good afternoon, Mikoto," he replied. "Thank you for welcoming a poor old man such as myself into your home."

"While you may be old, you have acquired a wealth of wisdom through your years and can in no way be called poor," Mikoto said as he toed off his sandals and placed them neatly in the entryway, nodding to his ANBU to stay put.

"You are too kind, Mikoto, just as you have always been."

Mikoto laughed, but didn't reply, instead leading him to a room and sliding open the shoji door.

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama. Please, sit."

"Good afternoon, Fugaku," he replied, settling himself on a cushion they had thoughtfully provided. Mikoto sat across from him, next to Fugaku.

"Would you like some tea?"

He accepted gratefully and Mikoto poured tea for the three of them – he recalled that it was something she had loved to do in her youth and it showed in her skill today. Once they'd all received a cup, though, the mood grew more serious.

"I'm sure you have some idea of what I would like to discuss," he said.

Fugaku set down his tea. "The... dissatisfaction... of certain members of this clan with the tension between the clan and village."

"That is essentially correct," he allowed. "I have also come, however, to hear the grievances of those members and to form a plan to address those grievances in a way that will prevent... drastic action."

Fugaku grimaced. "You know everything, then?"

"I am the Hokage, and this in my village. It is my duty to know everything."

"Now that we've established our positions, we should look for a solution," Mikoto interjected. "Preferably one with a minimum of violence."

Fugaku looked at her, surprised; Sarutobi laughed.

"Ah, Fugaku, you truly are lucky to have gotten her to marry you." Fugaku looked a bit chagrined, Mikoto as well. "Now, for the solution – we must first define the problem and find the cause of it."

"The problem is that the Uchiha clan is disliked and distrusted almost universally by the members of the village. We have been relegated to one corner, trapped in our own prison under the guise of respect and privacy. We were given a position of power – the police force – but that has led to dislike and resentment. And that has only escalated since the nine-tails attacked, as we put our duty first and stayed, evacuating the civilians as best we could."

Fugaku looked almost startled as he finished his impassioned explanation, though his expression turned resolute and unapologetic.

"If that is what is truly happening, then why was a coup suggested? Would that not only increase the negative feelings towards your clan?"

The words hung in the air heavily until he spoke again.

"If I were to make a statement to the entire village, would that help?"

"It depends on what the statement contains."

"That is only fair. I cannot yet tell you, as I do not know myself, having not yet written it, but I assure you it will only speak positively of your clan. That is only a short-term goal, however, and it will take more than just that to fully improve relations between the clan and the village."

"Yes, that's true," Mikoto agreed. "With several years worth of negativity, it will take at least that long to improve relations to a suitable point."

"Then the two other main problems I noticed you mentioned are that of the clan's isolation and the exclusivity of the police force. Is that correct?"

"It is."

"Then the next steps are to take are, obviously, to open up the police force to non-Uchiha and reintegrate, or at least open up, the Uchiha compound to the rest of the village."

"Yes. And as for how to accomplish that..."

* * *

"So it went well?" Raiden asked, looking hopeful.

"With Fugaku and Mikoto, yes, thought some of the others I passed looked malcontent – though that might change after I give my speech at the festival."

"Festival?"

"Yes – it is, as you might recall, the 50th anniversary of the village is just under a month away. And as per tradition, a recounting of the history of the village is recounted by the Hokage. And this time I will be sure to paint the Uchiha clan in a more favorable light than they have been in the past."

"That's good," Raiden agreed. But enough putting things off, he'd never really been one to dance around what needed to be done. "Where's Inoichi? I want to get this over with."

"Patience, Raiden," the Hokage said, looking amused. "We're going to meet him at T&I headquarters."

"Well, let's go then, Old Man." He watched as the Hokage rose slowly and donned his hat.

"Patience is a virtue."

"You said that already, Old Man."

Their conversation followed a similar vein until they reached T&I headquarters, where Inoichi was indeed waiting.

"Hello, Hokage-sama, and Uzumaki-san, right?"

"It's Raiden now, but yes – though it did use to be Naruto."

Inoichi frowned and was about to comment, but the Hokage interrupted.

"It's why we're here – to confirm his claim."

Inoichi looked a bit uncertain still but acquiesced, leading the both of them into the main interrogation room. Raiden sat down and held very still as the two sides closed in front of him, leaving only his head visible. Inoichi took a dep breath and closed his eyes and placed his hand on Raiden's forehead.

Next thing he knew he was standing in a square tunnel – there was not water this time, and it worried him. Every other time he'd been pulled into his mind, there had been water up to at least his ankles – it was a sign of the chakra seeping out from Kurama. But it wasn't there now – although there was an addition to his mind this time around, he thought, noting Inoichi's presence behind him.

"Welcome to my mind," he said, gesturing around. "My memories are this way, I think."

"Lead the way, then."

They passed several passages at which Inoichi looked questioningly. "Those are for clone memories. From shadow clones," he clarified.

"That's... a lot of clones." Raiden shrugged; he'd honestly never thought about it too hard. He stopped in front of another hallway, this one larger than the others, and entered it.

"Which memories do you want to see? Actually, nevermind – I'll show you some from when I was a kid. Huh – here's a good one."

* * *

 _"Where are we going, Old Man?" Naruto asked. He was half-hiding behind the Hokage's voluminous robes and Inoichi's heart went out to the kid._

 _"We're going to a ramen shop - " the Hokage started to explain, but was interrupted._

 _"What's ramen?"_

 _"It's a kind of soup, with noodles and other things." The Hokage picked Naruto up, situating the small boy on his hip. "I think you'll like it." Naruto smiled and buried his face in the Hokage's shoulder, only looking up when they neared Ichiraku's._

 _"That smells good," Naruto said. "What is it?"_

 _"That's ramen, Naruto," the Hokage said with a smile. Naruto's eyes grew bright and drool escaped the corner of his mouth, eliciting a laugh from the Hokage. He ducked under the hanging cloth and was greeted warmly by Ichiraku, who smiled as well, much to the boy's obvious surprise._

 _"One miso and one shio, please," the Hokage said, and the ramen was delivered in short order. Naruto tried it, a liitle clumsy with his chopsticks – but then he beamed at the Hokage._

 _"It's so good!"_

* * *

Raiden opened his eyes as the memory ended, revealing a shocked-looking Inoichi and expectant Hokage.

"He is who he says he is, Hokage-sama," Inoichi said. The Old Man blinked once in surprise – Raiden admitted his story was incredible, he himself wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't lived through it, so the Old Man's response was completely understandable – before recollecting himself.

"Can you verify, then, the information he shared about the Uchiha?"

* * *

 _A young Naruto was walking along the street, head down, until a bright flash of yellow caught his attention. 'Do not enter' tape was stretched across the gates of the Uchiha clan's compound, which were slightly ajar. He turned for a better look but recoiled when he saw faint dark stains in a trail leading up the street._

 _Two shinobi, both wearing flak jackets, were glancing over curiously as well, in quiet conversation with each other._

 _"I heard the entire clan was killed," one of them was saying._

 _"I heard that too – and they think it was the clan heir, you know, the prodigy – Itachi, I think his name was."_

 _"That's sick – killing his own clan. There was one survivor, wasn't there? His younger brother?"_

 _"Yeah, I heard he was in the hospital, though – won't wake up."_

* * *

The scene shifted, on to another memory.

* * *

 _The mask caught his attention first; next came the realization that the man wearing it was restrained by beams of wood – wood that could only have been put there with Mokuton. Since when had there been another Mokuton user in Konoha? But then the man started talking, and he listened._

 _"He is a man... that has become steeped in darkness, the curse of the Uchiha."_

 _"That's a lie!"_

 _"No... when considering Sasuke, you must not forget Itachi, who died for him and for the village."_

 _"That doesn't make sense," said Kakashi, who had been standing slightly behind the masked man. "Wouldn't that make him want to continue on Itachi's will?"_

 _"Oh, but you forget – it was Konoha's fault in the first place, for persecuting the Uchiha clan. Once Sasuke learned the truth behind his clan's demise, he was filled with hate against the village and determined to destroy it, just as they had destroyed Itachi and his clan."_

* * *

"He's telling the truth, Hokage-sama. In just less than a year's time, the Uchiha will be massacred – or would have been."

Inoichi, looked tired, and Raiden felt the same, if not worse – he felt groggy and dizzy, almost sick. That jutsu sure wasn't fun to be on the receiving end of. The barrier around the rest of his body withdrew and Raiden stood, swaying a bit before he regained his balance.

"I think I'll just head home how, if it's all the same to you." He said faintly.

"Do you need help?" Inoichi offered, and Raiden grimaced but shook his head.

"I'll be able to get home." He left, gratified that his step was fairly steady, and headed to the house. He nearly fumbled the key trying to get in – where had his coordination gone? - but managed to unlock and open the door.

"Hey guys, I'm home," he said hoarsely. He closed the door behind him and Naruto popped his head into the entryway.

"Welcome home – Raiden, what happened, you look like crap!"

"Ah, just a weird jutsu – I'll be fine - " Raiden paused – when had the room started spinning - ?

"H-hey... Rai - "

* * *

Naruto was scared. Raiden, one of the strongest and coolest people he'd ever known had just collapsed. He didn't know what to do – he could call for help, but there weren't many people that would listen to him, even if he was trying to help someone else, he knew that.

His eyes were starting to water and he wiped at them angrily; crying wouldn't help anything. First off, he should get Raiden in a better position – laying in the middle of the floor wouldn't be the best. So he put one of Raiden's arms over his shoulders and wrapped his other arm as far as he could and half-dragged Raiden to his room and put him in his bed. Naruto hoped Raiden wouldn't be mad at him when he woke up for going in his room without permission.

What next? He watched Raiden carefully as he thought and noticed that Raiden was getting flushed – which was weird because he was really pale when he'd gotten home – and he was sweating a lot. He touched Raiden's forehead – _hot_. Really hot. Naruto rushed to get a rag and soaked it in cold water and put it on Raiden's forehead. Raiden shifted, looking pained, and mumbled something. Was he awake? No, he was just muttering in his sleep – he did have a fever after all. He looked _really_ sick.

Naruto stood and clenched his fist. He'd have to go tell someone – as much as he didn't want to leave Raiden, if he got any worse Naruto wouldn't be able to help at all. He turned to leave but as he reached the doorway he mumbled again, this time loud enough that Naruto heard what he was saying.

"No, Kurama – don't – come back - " _Who was Kurama?_ Naruto wondered, but paused.

"Don't worry – I'll be back," he said, and left the room. He stopped at the doorway to pull on his sandals really fast and decided he'd have to find Shisui. He was one of the few people that would listen to him besides the Old Man and Satoshi, and the Old Man was busy and Satoshi was halfway across the village. And Shisui would be in the nearby training ground – Raiden had mentioned sparring with Shisui this morning – come to think of it, he'd been a bit pale then, too.

So with his sandals finally on properly he flung the door open – and then ran smack into a solid body. He yelped and tipped back but a hand on his shoulder steadied him.

"Gotta watch where you're going there, kiddo," Shisui said with a grin, and Naruto couldn't help it – he started crying. Shisui's grin vanished. "Hey, woah – what's wrong?"

"It's Raiden – he's really sick, please, Shisui, you gotta help!"

Naruto led Shisui into Raiden's room; Shisui pulled the cloth off Raiden's forehead and felt it. His eyes widened and he swore softly. Shisui handed him the rag, saying, "Go get this cold again, Naruto, would you?" And when he came back Shisui's eyes were red like how some of his other clan members' were sometimes. Shisui swore again – a _really_ bad word this time – and looked worried.

"All right, Naruto, listen up. I'm going to take him to the hospital, but I'll come back as soon as I can and take you too, so just stay put, okay?"

Naruto nodded and held the doors open for Shisui as he picked up Raiden and carried him outside. As soon as he was out he vanished, leaving a small pile of leaves in front of the door.

He knew Shisui was really fast from watching that spar, so Shisui would be back soon. That didn't mean he wasn't still scared, though – Shisui had looked really worried. Was Raiden gonna die? No, that couldn't happen – Raiden was too strong. Right? Before his train of thought could go further, Shisui reappeared, grabbed him, and then he was dizzily looking at the hospital walls.

"He's in the room at the end of the hall on the second floor, but you can't go in yet – they're still trying to get his chakra back to normal."

"There was something wrong with his chakra?"

Shisui nodded solmenly. "Yeah, it was going haywire, burning up his chakra coils from the inside and damaging his organs – I think one of the coils actually partially collapsed... "

Shisui abruptly stopped talking and Naruto thought it might be because he'd turned pale at the news – he'd felt the blood draining from his face.

"Will he – will he be okay?" He asked quietly and Shisui frowned.

"I don't know, Naruto. They don't know what's causing it, so the best thing they can do is to try and keep him stable until they can get a really good healer in to fix his chakra coils. And as far as I know, only Tsunade-sama was ever good enough to do something like that..."

Naruto took a deep, shuddering breath and clenched his jaw. Raiden was strong. He'd get better, and he'd come back home and he and Satoshi would -

"Hey, Shisui, can you tell Satoshi, too? He works at the smith's shop across town – Higa-something." Shisui nodded and disappeared, leaving Naruto to find the room on his own. Naruto entered the hospital and made his way to the room Shisui had described and sat down on a bench in the hallway. He decided right then and there he hated hospitals. The blank whiteness, the sterile antiseptic smell, the feeling of hopelessness. He _hated_ it.

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Satoshi – man, Shisui really was quick – and ran up to him.

"What happened?" Satoshi asked urgently. "What's wrong with Raiden?"

"Shisui said his chakra was really messed up so it was making him sick, something like that. He looked real bad when he got home and then he collapsed so I dragged him to his bed but then he was really hot so I went to get Shisui but then he was already there. And he took Raiden to the hospital and then me and then he got you."

"His chakra is messed up that badly?"

"Shisui said part of it collapsed."

Satoshi's face grew even more grim. "Did Shisui say if they could fix something like that?"

"He said someone named Tsunade probably could. But I think she's not in the village or something..."

"She's not here? But then - " Satoshi's argument was cut off by a harried-looking nurse exiting Raiden's room.

"Excuse me, but are either of you Naruto Uzumaki?"

"That's me!" He blurted, and the nurse looked relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness. Please come with me, Uzumaki-kun." He followed her into the room with Satoshi close behind – the nurse's jaw tightened but he didn't say anything. Naruto's skin started prickling as soon as he entered the room but he forgot about it when he heard Raiden's voice.

"N-Naruto... need Naruto... " Raiden was saying, eyes feverishly glazed – but at least he was awake. Naruto ran up to his bedside and was startled when Raiden grabbed his hand, grip surprisingly strong. Naruto felt a heat come over him and orange washed over the room and Raiden visibly relaxed. An orange bubble-thing spread around him, two pointy tips poking out of the top of his head, and he smiled.

"Kurama," he said, and his eyes closed. The fitful beeping in the background steadied and Raiden's face started to lose its feverish flush. The prickly feeling went away a lot, too. Naruto turned, still holding Raiden's hand.

"Satoshi, he looks a lot better, doesn't he..." He trailed off at the unnerved gazes the nurses were shooting at him – but Satoshi's was as kind as ever.

"Yeah, you're right."

* * *

There was something weird going on. Raiden didn't just get sick – especially not this fast and this seriously. That just didn't happen to Uzumaki, even if they weren't full-blooded. So Shisui's explanation of a collapsed chakra coil made sense – but then there was the question _how?_ Chakra coils didn't just randomly collapse.

And the fact that as soon as Raiden had woken up (at least somewhat), he'd asked for Naruto, and then miraculously that orange chakra – really scary-feeling chakra – had bubbled up from Naruto's stomach and enshrouded the both of them, thankfully not burning their clothes or any of the medical equipment. And Satoshi thought that might be a major clue to figuring out exactly what was wrong with Raiden – he just didn't know what it was, exactly.

What he did know was this: first, Raiden had a collapsed chakra coil that if not fixed would kill him. Second: for some reason Naruto's orange chakra was keeping him stable. Third: Naruto couldn't stay there forever. Fourth: a healer named Tsunade would be able to fix Raiden. So really there was only one thing to do – go find this Tsunade lady and get her to heal Raiden. As soon as possible.

He'd have to talk to the Hokage for sure, though, and his employer – though now that he thought about it, his employer's daughter was always going on about a 'Tsunade-sama', so he thought he'd be okay on that front. But as for the Hokage – there was no knowing. He had to try anyways, though, so he went up to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto, I'm going to go talk to the Hokage about this, see if I can't go find Tsunade. Just stay here until I come back, okay, bud?"

"Okay, Satoshi."

"And I'll get one of the nurses to bring you a book or something so you don't get too bored."

"Okay."

Satoshi left and made his way to the Administration Tower; hopefully he'd be able to get in to see the Hokage quickly. When he got there, though, the secretary told him the Hokage was busy and led him to a seat to wait. His knee wouldn't stop bouncing, all his nervous energy needed an outlet. It wasn't every day that his cousin was dying, nor was it every day he talked to a Kage. And speaking of – the man himself strode out of his office, a nurse at his shoulder – one who'd been in Raiden's room earlier.

"Hokage-sama!" He blurted, standing. The old man turned.

"Ah, Uzumaki-kun, please come along." Satoshi hurried to follow along – they were going to the hospital, probably Raiden's room. That was good, then, and he might figure out what was going on with Raiden, depending on what the Hokage said. They were quiet on the way to the hospital until Satoshi brought up his – well, it wasn't an idea, really, more of a request.

"Hokage-sama – would you permit me to try to find Tsunade-sama and bring her here? With Raiden's problem – and Shisui mentioned her, so I just thought - "

The Hokage turned to him, a serious look on his face. "Uzumaki-kun - "

He couldn't help but grimace this time. "With the three of us, please just use Satoshi."

"Satoshi-kun, if you can get Tsunade to return to the village, I will count it as a personal favor to myself."

Raiden almost stumbled but managed to stay on his feet. "Seriously?" He asked.

"I have been trying to persuade her to return for the better part of a decade. I am very serious."

They'd made it to the hospital by then and when they entered Raiden's room Satoshi shot Naruto a thumbs-up and the boy grinned.

"Do you know what this is, Hokage-sama?" The doctor asked.

"I have an idea," he said, voice rumbling. "However, it is related to an S-class secret, so I must request all nurses to leave for just a few minutes." They all left, and it was only him, the Hokage, the doctor, Naruto, and a sleeping Raiden in the room.

"What can you tell us, Hokage-sama?" The doctor asked, and Satoshi turned his attention towards the old man, as did Naruto.

"Remember: you must not repeat anything I will say here to anyone else. But here it is: Raiden had a store of bijuu chakra inside of him – an artificial jinchuriki, if you will. Somehow, though, it has been removed, and that caused the collapse of a central chakra coil. Naruto's orange chakra helps fill that void, but that is only a temporary measure. 'Jinchuriki' is what we call those with bijuu sealed inside of them, and if their bijuu is lost or extracted from within them, they will die. It's a miracle Raiden lasted as long as he did, considering."

"But how does Naruto's chakra help? And if jinchuriki die, then how will Tsunade be able to help? Will she even be able to help at all?" Satoshi asked. Even if the answer was no, he'd still try to get her backm if only to ease Raiden's pain.

The Hokage sighed, looking weary. "The reason Naruto's chakra helps is because he is a jinchuriki as well – the holder of the nine-tailed fox."

Satoshi bit his lip; that wasn't the answer he had been expecting but it made sense, considering his circumstances. And as for Naruto – he looked about to cry.

"I – I'm the nine-tails?" He asked, voice shaky, and Satoshi shook his head vehemently.

"No – the nine-tails has been sealed away inside you." Naruto still looked confused. "Naruto – it's like this – pretend you're a bowl. And pretend the nine-tails is miso ramen. If you put the miso ramen in the bowl, the bowl is still a bowl, it doesn't become ramen, see?" Naruto's face cleared.

"Oh, I get it now. But what does that have to do with Raiden?"

"Well, Raiden used to have pork ramen in his bowl. But then his bowl got a crack in it so you're sharing some of your ramen with him. And I want to go find Tsunade so she can fix the crack in Raiden's bowl."

"That makes more sense. Why didn't you say that earlier?" Satoshi sighed but the Hokage looked amused. "I guess it's a good thing I'm a jin-whatsit, then."

"Jinchuriki, Naruto."

"Yeah, that. But you should go find that Tsunade lady quick, 'cause I don't wanna run out of ramen!"

Satoshi debated telling Naruto that his "ramen" wouldn't be running out anytime soon but decided against it, it would just make things complicated. "Sure thing, buddy."

"Tsunade-sama is coming back?" The doctor asked, excitement in his voice. Of course he'd notice that.

"If I can manage it," Satoshi replied. "And of course I'll try my hardest."

The Hokage got up and opened the door, allowing the nurses back in – though there were less, now, and beckoned Satoshi out with him.

"About that little mission – I'd like to send along a couple shinobi with you – I have two in mind, a sensor and a swordsman – they can help you identify Tsunade as well as act as protection just in case. Do you think you could set off by seven tomorrow morning?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." That was good; it would give him enough time to notify Higurashi-san and pack and get some decent rest. And find Shisui to thank him.

* * *

"Hayate Gekko, nice to meet you."

"Uzuki Yuugao."

"Satoshi Uzumaki – thanks for coming along."

Hayate smiled. "I couldn't very well not come – I have a bit of a personal stake in this as well, as you might have noticed," he said, gesturing to himself – he did look rather ill, Satoshi noticed. "And Raiden's my friend – I can't very well let him die."

"Well, thank you all the same."

"I hate to interrupt your budding relationship," Uzuki interrupted, dryly, "but we have a mission to start, and I believe Gekko has pertinent information."

"Right – when I went on that mission with Raiden about a month ago we bumped into her at Tanzaku-Gai. But I don't think she's there at the moment since it's been so long – and I also know that there's currently a gambling tournament event in Hokusei right now."

"So the question is – do we want to start in Tanzaku, where she was confirmed to be, or Hokusei, where she's fairly likely to be?" Uzuki asked.

Satoshi frowned. "What does a tournament have to do with Tsunade?" The two ninja looked at each other hesitantly before Uzuki sighed.

"Tsunade-sama is a gambling addict, as well as a bit of a drunk. She's actually known as 'The Legendary Sucker' in some places."

Satoshi grimaced. _That_ was some unpleasant news. But they seemed to have faith in her despite all that, so her healing abilities must be truly miraculous. With this new information, though -

"Hokusei."

* * *

His gut instinct had been right; as soon as they arrived in Hokusei he felt something that he could only describe as a faint tug pulling him in a certain direction. It wasn't a tug, not really, but a feeling that there was something important just over there.

"We should go this way," he said decisively. Uzuki nodded.

"I sense minor chakra use from over there," she added. "Are you sure you don't have a sensing ability, Uzumaki-san?"

"I don't know," he said as he led them towards the 'tug'. "I haven't learned to use chakra, but it's possible."

The tug was getting stronger now, and Satoshi knew they were getting close. And then Hayate tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to a young woman with short dark hair.

"She was with Tsunade-sama in Tanzaku," he explained. "If we follow her she'll lead us to Tsunade-sama."

They both nodded and the three of them started following her unobtrusively – though it was rather difficult when she was walking so quickly.

She stopped and entered a small shop – a sake shop – and they ducked inside as well, tracking Shizune to a booth in the back corner - Satoshi could only see that the single occupant had blonde hair. They went closer, and the lady in the booth turned and looked at Shizune – and past her to stare straight at the three of them.

"Shizune, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings - you picked up a tail."

Satoshi took a chance to study her face as she spoke – she looked surprisingly youthful for someone who was supposedly over forty years old. Though that might have had something to do with the purple diamond on her forehead – he knew from Raiden that seals could do ridiculous things and that they came in many different forms. His attention switched back to Shizune when she whirled around to see who'd been following her.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but I was focused on trying to find you," she said, then lowered her voice, "there's an unhappy debt collector in town again."

Tsunade frowned.

"All right, Konoha kids, leave, I'm busy."

And Satoshi decided he really didn't like her, miracle healer or no. Still, she was the only one who had a chance of healing Raiden and he wasn't going to give up just because he didn't like her.

"Can you at least hear us out first?" He asked, retaining a veneer of politeness.

"Sorry, kid," she said, not sounding sorry at all, "but you're out of luck. I'm just gonna finish my sake and then me and Shizune are gonna leave town b'fore the debt collector shows up."

That was it. He strode forward and slammed his hands on the table. "Look, lady, I don't care if you're the Rikudo Sannin himself! My cousin is _dying_ and I need your help!"

Tsunade looked as if she was going to dismiss him but then frowned and squinted. "What's your name, kid?"

"Satoshi. Satoshi Uzumaki."

"And your cousin?"

"Raiden." Shizune was frowning, too, now, and Satoshi was beginning to think they had a chance.

"Shizune, we're leaving," Tsunade announced abruptly, and strode past them out of the shop. He and the other two followed. "So, kid, tell me what's wrong with the brat."

Satoshi glanced at his two companions but they both shook their heads; apparently as they were representing Konoha they were being ignored so then 'kid' and 'brat' must be him and Raiden.

He wasn't sure exactly what he could say with Uzuki and Hayate there, though the Hokage had given permission to tell Tsunade everything – so he decided to stick to the problem and symptoms and not mention the cause until they were out of earshot.

"From what I understand, a central chakra coil partially collapsed, and his chakra started going haywire which resulted in organ damage. He gets really high fevers and can't really eat anything."

Tsunade's brow furrowed, her eyes much clearer than before. "How long has it been since it started?"

"Six days."

Shizune let out a gasp and Tsunade looked troubled. "Satoshi – that shouldn't be possible. Not even for an Uzumaki - "

"No," Satoshi interrupted. "They have him on an IV, and they found something to stabilize his chakra for a while. He's not dead yet."

Tsunade still looked dubious but allowed him the benefit of the doubt. "Whatever they're doing, it would still be best if we got there as soon as possible."

* * *

"T-Tsunade-sama!" The gate guard practically had start in his eyes; was Tsunade really that famous? Whatever, it didn't matter – they'd have to stop by the Hokage's office and then head over to the hospital for her to do a preliminary inspection.

People would occasionally stop and stare as they made their way to the Hokage's office but they made it there without too much trouble. The secretary let them in, eyes wide, and the old man nearly spit out his pipe when they entered the office.

"Hello, sensei," Tsunade said, and the old man could only manage an undignified _"Tsunade!"_ In response. "Where's the brat?"

The Hokage seemed to regain his professionalism and began to lead them to the hospital – to Raiden. There were only three people in the room when the four of them finally got there – Hayate and Uzuki had disappeared somewhere along the way – a nurse, ostensibly for monitoring the situation; Naruto, who was doing homework, and Raiden, who was attempting to explain something to Naruto. The orange chakra shroud wasn't visible anymore, which he thought was a good thing, but Raiden still looked pretty terrible; wan and much thinner than he remembered, hair lank instead of its usual spiky mess.

Raiden cheered up visibly when they came in, prompting Naruto to turn around, and they both grinned. The nurse left quietly; with Tsunade there her presence was rather redundant.

"Hey, Shizune, baa-chan!"

"You brat, what have you gotten yourself into?" Raiden looked sheepish.

"It wasn't my fault." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Well, I guess it kind of was – but I didn't cause it on purpose!"

"Of course you didn't, otherwise I would be beating some sense into you right now." She poked Naruto. "Scoot over."

Naruto was really excited, bouncing in his seat at the prospect of having Raiden back up and well. Tsunade's hand started to glow green and she placed her hand over his abdomen and frowned.

"I'm assuming the extremely dense chakra I'm sensing is the bijuu chakra - "

"There's some nature chakra in there as well," Raiden interjected.

"And nature chakra. And the lighter chakra is your own?" Raiden nodded. Her hand moved around until she'd eventually covered his entire torso. "I have good news and bad news. A section of your central chakra coil has indeed collapsed, and several tenketsu are either blocked or blown completely. The good news is that I can reinflate the collapsed coil and start the tenketsu healing; the bad news is it can only be temporary. Without the support of bijuu chakra, it will collapse again within a few months – sooner if you use chakra."

Raiden nodded, face pensive. A moment later he spoke.

"And what if I were to seal another bijuu inside me?"

The question sparked an uproar and from what little he knew Satoshi was completely on the others' side. He knew Raiden was completely reckless and just a bit crazy, but to do that? How would he even find a bijuu? But as he thought about it, he realized it just might be possible. Raiden was a sealing genius, after all, and he had a lot of chakra – though he would have to be very careful about the timing of using it.

"Do you know where one is?" Satoshi asked, his question cutting through the storm of words.

The protests stopped and all attention was on Raiden.

"I do, actually. The three-tails is currently loose in Mizu," he said.

"Mizu?" Naruto asked; he'd been awfully quiet up until then. "You mean the country with Kirigakure no Sato?"

"Exactly right, Naruto. And Kiri's really mixed-up right now so I don't think they'll notice."

"Then you gotta do it! It'll make you better, right?"

"It should."

And Satoshi realized that yes, Raiden was going to do it. Raiden wasn't technically a Konoha nin, so the Hokage couldn't forbid it, and though Tsunade looked disapproving she also realized that if he didn't do it he'd die in a few years anyway. As for Nagato – there was no way he wouldn't agree, if it was for Raiden, and the political issue was pretty much moot – if Kiri even noticed the three-tails being gone, they couldn't very well pick a fight with Ame because of the new alliance. And Kiri's military was in a mess anyway, from the civil war.

It just might work.

* * *

 **AN: I was going to cover the Uchiha situation next, but, well – I swear this story has its own ideas.**


	7. Chapter 7: Kiri

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"Can you just stay for the festival?" Naruto pleaded. "It's only two weeks away."

"Sorry, Naruto, but I can't. Without chakra, it will take me a week to get to Ame, and a further three weeks minimum to get to Mizu no Kuni after that. That's already a month of travel time - even though I wish I could stay, I just can't."

"Cheer up, Naruto, he'll be back before you know it," Satoshi said - there was a faint sense of resignation in his words and Raiden knew Satoshi would miss him just as much as Naruto would - just as much as he'd miss the both of them.

"And if you do well in school I'll teach you a jutsu when I get back."

Naruto looked excited and Raiden didn't really want to ruin that by telling him it wouldn't be above a C-rank, though he had yet to decide which one. He still had to prepare for his trip - Tsunade had finally let him out after another day and a half of observation. Given his current ban on chakra, his seals were out - manual carrying it was, which meant he'd need to get everything he needed out of his seals. Which, in his infinite wisdom, were etched into his belt.

He shrugged, pulled it off, and handed it to Naruto, who looked completely baffled.

"Can you channel a bit of chakra and touch here and here?" He asked, pointing at two different seals. Naruto still looked confused - Raiden remembered at that age he'd known practically nothing about seals - but did as he said anyway, and a pile of stuff fell out at his feet. Which included (but wasn't limited to) an old bedroll, a handful of ration bars, a few packets of food and chakra pills (one of the pills was one of Sakura's monstrosities), a canteen, water-purifying tablets; basically anything he'd need to survive off the land. Those things all came from the first seal; the other had contained empty storage seals, which had unfortunately fluttered all around Naruto and were completely disorganized. He really only needed the chakra storages - if Naruto charged them with nine-tails chakra, he'd have what amounted to a portable life-support system.

He took his belt back from Naruto and buckled it back on, then grabbed a backpack that fit snugly (that was good, it meant it wouldn't shift when running) and started tossing things in. He'd leave tomorrow morning, and if he packed now he'd be able to leave earlier.

"Are you going to see me off tomorrow, Naruto?" He asked. "I'll be leaving early."

"Of course!" Naruto looked scandalized. "I'll say goodbye even if I'm asleep!"

Raiden laughed and Satoshi cracked a smile; he'd be sure to wake him up in the morning to say goodbye before he left.

* * *

"Good morning, Naruto!" Raiden said cheerily. He would have pulled up the blinds on his window, but the sun was only just beginning to rise and it wasn't light enough to help wake him up. Naruto mumbled and pulled his pillow closer to his chest - somehow he'd ended up facing the opposite direction he'd gone to sleep in, with the covers in a heap in the opposite corner of the room.

He knelt closer to the bed and shook his shoulder gently. "Wake up, kiddo, I'm leaving soon."

"…Huh? Rai?" Naruto sat up and blinked blearily. His head drooped forward, but Satoshi came in a second later.

"Food!" He was holding a cup of ramen and the smell seemed to wake Naruto up a bit. He started to drool and was at least awake enough to wipe his mouth on his sleeve. It was progress.

The ramen _did_ smell good, and Raiden's stomach growled. Satoshi gave him a flat look and Raiden smiled sheepishly.

"Good thing I made three, then," he said, and deposited the cup in Raiden's hands. A moment later he returned with two other ramen cups and handed one to Naruto, whose eyes had cleared though he still looked tired.

Naruto slid down from his bed and they sat in a triangle on the wood floor, all slurping ramen. Naruto finished first and placed his cup in the middle of the space and Raiden was done soon after and plunked his cup on Naruto's. They both watched Satoshi expectantly and he stopped eating and scowled.

"How am I supposed to finish if you keep staring at me?" He asked, and Raiden and Naruto looked at each other and burst out laughing. He finished and stacked his ramen cup on the three of theirs, creating a mini-tower of disposable ramen cups. The three of them looked at it for a while, not really knowing what to do with it, then Naruto poked it and it fell over.

Raiden sighed and picked it up; he'd toss it in the trash while Naruto got dressed. Satoshi followed him out and they waited for Naruto to get ready - which took less than a minute and Raiden had suspicions that Naruto hadn't brushed his teeth. He let it drop, though, because he did have to leave - he'd waited long enough as it was, but he'd wanted to let Naruto have the opportunity to say goodbye; Satoshi too.

He grabbed his pack and stood, and Naruto and Satoshi did as well - they accompanied him to the gate, where he stopped. He gave Satoshi a fist-bump and a reassuring smile, then knelt down and hugged Naruto.

"I'll be back soon, don't worry. And I'll be as good as new!"

He pulled back and Naruto put on a brave smile, though his eyes were watery. "And don't forget you promised to teach me a jutsu!"

"Don't worry, I won't."

Satoshi stood quietly - he wasn't one for big emotional displays. But he offered Raiden a smile, which he returned, before stepping out of the village. He held his hand up in a wave, but didn't look back.

* * *

It was different, knowing he was alone now. He'd been lonely during his childhood, always longing for acknowledgement, but though he hadn't known it his parents and Kurama had always been with him.

The long, empty, road stretched before him, and since the road had left Konoha's forests it had only been grasslands. They extended out as far as he could see, and that and the cloudless expanse of blue sky made him feel small and powerless.

He laughed without any humor. He was alone, and he was powerless. He missed Kurama. He missed everyone, really - those who he'd left, those who had died. Kurama, his parents, Jiraiya, the Old Man, Tsunade, Kakashi, his teammates, Konohamaru, his friends -

He'd never see them again.

Not as he remembered them.

They were all _gone_.

He let out another choked laugh and wondered why because there was nothing funny about it. He could die on this road - a wild animal could attack him, he could fall from a tree, he could die and he would be _all alone_.

And it was his fault.

If he'd been better, faster, stronger during the war everything would be different. His friends would all be safe, Tsunade would be complaining about paperwork, Shizune would be trying to keep her away from the sake, Kakashi would be reading his book and giving them pointers while watching them train - or maybe he'd be training with them. Teuchi would be making ramen, assisted by Ayame and Iruka, and - it _had_ been a few years - maybe there would be a little kid toddling around.

But imagining only hurt more; it was why he'd kept himself so busy after arriving in the past. His vision blurred and he swiped under his eyes with his thumb, brushing away the tears before they fell. More took their place and he let them fall - there was no one around to see him cry, so he might as well.

In just a few months he'd joined a rebellion, fought in a civil war, helped _win_ said civil war, met two cousins - one of which he hadn't even known he'd _had_ \- become the ambassador between Ame and Konoha, helped create an alliance, cast suspicion on Danzou, made a friend, told the Old Man who he really was, gotten interrogated by a Yamanaka, had his most trusted friend get absorbed by his other self, and almost died. Several times.

By keeping himself busy he'd not had time enough to think about it - but that also meant he'd not had time to properly grieve and work through things. This little quest of his - it wasn't just about physical healing. It was about spiritual healing, too.

* * *

"By the _Sage_ , Raiden, what happened to you?"

He dropped his travel pack and slumped into one of the chairs. Traveling without chakra was more tiring than he'd expected - though that also could be that he was still pretty weak.

"Oh, just a life-changing revelation. Some clearing of emotional baggage. Oh, and I might have lost the bijuu that was previously inside me and collapsed a chakra coil or two. No biggie, really."

Yahiko gaped, Nagato's jaw clenched, and Konan's lips pressed into a thin line.

"How are you still alive?" She asked. He knew she didn't mean to sound callous, but it _was_ a miracle he was alive so he didn't blame her.

"Tsunade-baa-chan patched me up, but it's temporary. In order for me to really truly get better I need a permanent source of bijuu chakra."

"Raiden, I swear, you're just trying to be confusing. Just start from the beginning, please."

"The beginning?" And not for the first time, he wondered whether keeping them in the dark would be more beneficial or painful in the long run before deciding that after all they'd done for each other they deserved to know. And then he remembered what Itachi has said to him - _However strong you become, never seek to bear everything alone. If you do, failure is certain._ And his decision was made.

"Very well then. The beginning: it started when the nine-tailed fox attacked Konoha and my father, the Fourth Hokage, sealed it into me on the day of my birth."

"Wait - how is that - ?" Yahiko began.

"Space-time jutsu," Nagato explained - he'd always been quick on the uptake. "Just - listen."

So Raiden explained a bit about how he grew up, and the devastation of the War, and about how he'd returned to the past. And then, background established, explained his current situation. The silence once he'd finished lasted a good few minutes, his three friends - though they were really more like family - taking in and processing his story.

"So you need bijuu chakra," Nagato stated, "and the only bijuu currently without a jinchuuriki is the three-tails in Mizu?"

"Yes."

"And you think you could seal the three-tails into yourself?"

"It's possible."

"I say go for it," Yahiko said. "What is there to lose? Good will with Mizu? Even if they figure out we have their bijuu, they're not in a position to do anything. They'd be fools to attack in their current state, not even considering our recent alliance with Konoha."

Sometimes Raiden forgot how tactically smart Yahiko was; despite his goofy attitude he was amazingly intuitive.

"Rest here for a couple days and restock. After that, I'll head out with you until we reach Mizu."

"But - Nagato - " Raiden protested. "You have a village to run…" He trailed off, taking note of the three in front of him. Nagato's expression was what he'd heard others describe as 'set in stone', and Konan and Yahiko were smiling faintly. "All right. Fine."

And he did have to admit, it was probably a good idea. With both Yahiko and Konan still in Ame, the city would be fine. And, loath though he was to admit it, likely wouldn't last against any opponent higher than B-rank. In the case of that happening, Nagato would be able to protect him.

"Now that that's settled," Nagato said, "It's time for dinner. You'll be joining us, Raiden, and then go to sleep."

Raiden complied without much fuss. Though it was occasionally completely humiliating when people mothered him, it still warmed something inside him. It was a validation that they truly did care. That he had a family now.

His friends from the past had occasionally been like family - but they'd done so much less than they could have, he realized that now. The Old Man and Tsunade had been busy with their duties as Kage. Kakashi-sensei had been haunted by his own past and could barely take care of himself adequately. Sakura, once he'd failed to bring back Sasuke the first time, had meant well but then her false confession… she had never really gotten to know him. Sasuke - well, he didn't have the best role model, but most brothers didn't try to kill each other. And Hinata - he'd never really known how to act around her.

There were two people he'd really seen as family: Konohamaru and Jiraiya. Konohamaru had been an amazing younger brother; he'd listened eagerly to whatever he'd had to say, and never shunned or hated or disliked him, not after that first day together, not even when he'd learned about the fox. And at the chunin exams - though he'd been a bit disappointed at not gaining the rank, he'd also never been prouder.

And Jiraiya, for all his faults, had instilled in him the most important things, the values he'd incorporated into his nindo. He'd taught him, paid attention to him, made him feel appreciated and loved. And the brief moments that he'd finally been able to meet his parents…it was the same warmth he felt when he was with the three of them, and Satoshi and Naruto.

"You guys…" he trailed off, unable to vocalize what he was feeling, but somehow they understood.

"It's stir-fry tonight," Yahiko said. "I'll make sure to give you extra vegetables to keep your strength up."

Of course, there were also the times when family members lived to annoy each other.

* * *

"Time to go, Nagato," Raiden announced cheerfully the next morning - though it could barely be called such as it was still dark enough that he could barely make out the wall opposite. And of course, Nagato was still asleep. But they had to cross the entirety of Hi no Kuni, so the sooner they left, the better.

Nagato groaned in protest. "What time is it?" He asked, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"Five-something?" Raiden answered, and Nagato frowned.

"Raiden, I am not leaving until seven at the earliest."

"But we have a whole country to cover!" He pointed out, and Nagato yawned.

"Raiden, I have a bird summons that will get us there in two days."

He stopped short. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that." Nagato sighed.

"Might as well get up, then, since I'm already awake." Raiden smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"You should be - now I'm going to make you ride in its beak."

"Oh no, not the beak!" He said it mockingly, but that actually really didn't sound fun. "What can I do to avoid that terrible punishment?"

"Make breakfast," Nagato answered, chucking his pillow at him.

"Yes, O Great Nagato-dono," he said, bowing deeply. "I shall prepare the best breakfast ever eaten by man!"

Nagato growled and Raiden ducked out quickly, grinning, before Nagato decided it was a good idea to throw something more injurious, like a kunai or shuriken. Or maybe a sandal. He was chuckling to himself as he made his way to their kitchen and turned on the stove. Omelettes sounded good for lasting energy and nutrients, which he desperately needed after a week of not being able to eat nearly anything and another week soon after with only ration bars and whatever he'd found to supplement them.

So Nagato was then gratified when he came downstairs to see a very nice omelette waiting for him. And then Yahiko appeared - Raiden thought the smell of food had woken him - and then Konan, who he suspected was woken by the noise Yahiko made when he got up.

The second omelet finished cooking and he put it on a plate in front of Yahiko, who couldn't function until he'd gotten some food in him, and started on the third.

"Thanks, Rai," Konan said once she got hers.

"Don't thank me, thank Nagato," he deflected. "He bullied me into it."

"Thank you too, then, Nagato."

Nagato shrugged and finished up, heading over to the sink and washing his plate as Raiden finished making the last omelette for himself.

It was quiet but comfortable; he relaxed in the homey atmosphere as he ate his omelette. It seemed like a trivial thing, but peacefulness was a hard thing to come by. Yahiko finished a moment later, looking far more awake, and went to help Nagato wash the dishes.

"Good luck," Konan said, and he turned towards her, an inquisitive look on her face. "You're going to need it."

"Probably," he agreed, shrugging. "But my luck has always pulled through when I really needed it."

Nagato and Yahiko had finished the dishes by this point and had both disappeared into their rooms - Yahiko to get dressed, most likely, and Nagato to grab a pack. Konan had dressed before getting breakfast, so they continued to talk until the both of them reappeared.

"All ready to go then?" He asked, and Nagato nodded. They headed out together and started walking - it was probably best Nagato didn't summon his bird in the middle of the city, as it was rather large and the buildings were rather close together.

Once they'd reached the outskirts of the city, though, he performed the jutsu and a massive bird appeared - and _boy_ was it ugly. Its head and beak were massive, almost out-massing its body, and it quirked its head with such a _jerky_ motion. It gave him the creeps. Nagato grabbed him and jumped on, and the bird took off with a screeching squawk.

Raiden clapped his hands over his ears and glared at Nagato, who looked completely unaffected. "This is a demon bird!" he said as soon as the noise went away.

"This demon bird is saving you weeks of travel," Nagato pointed out, logic impeccable. "And it's only for two days."

Raiden sat. He still didn't like the bird.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Nagato had dropped him off at the border of Mizu; two weeks on his own, trying to find Isobu - which he hadn't, but because of his handicap he'd only been able to search the part of Mizu connected to the mainland.

He'd managed to find a good routine - at least one that would allow him to cover as much ground as possible. He'd wake up, take down his camp - really only his bedroll - and start walking. If he was lucky he'd find some berries or something to eat; if not it was food pills and ration bars. As it began to get dark he'd strike camp, catch fish - rivers were plentiful in Mizu - and meditate into Sage Mode and try to sense Isobu. Then he'd sleep, having been exhausted by the day's traveling.

Now, though, he needed a boat. It was possible he could walk across the water, as he wouldn't actually be expelling the chakra, but he didn't want to risk it, so a boat it was. He knew from the previous night's meditation there was a town nearby, and he headed toward it - it was fairly large, and there was a good chance someone there had a boat he could buy. Because renting probably wasn't the best; there was a good chance it would get wrecked along the way.

So he trekked in the direction of the village - it wasn't too far away, thankfully - and found a man on the outskirts- an old fisherman - with two boats. One was floating, tied to a mooring on a small dock; the other was pulled up onto the sand.

"Excuse me, sir!" He called, and the old man, who was unwinding the rope of the ship in the water, looked up.

"Yes?" He asked warily - with the civil war having just ended, random travelers were something to be suspicious of. But it couldn't be helped.

"Do you need that boat?" He asked, gesturing towards the boat on the sand. The old man scoffed.

"She ain't been seaworthy nigh on five 'r so years, boy. You c'n 'ave 'er cheap."

He should've realized that. But he could always work something out - "What if I help out, then we can work together and get her seaworthy again?"

"She needs part of her hull replaced, a new rudder, and to be entirely re-caulked."

It would cost time - another two weeks, at least - but he did need a boat, or else he'd not be able to explore the other eighty percent of the country - and there weren't exactly regular ferries. So he made a deal with the fisherman - he'd help the old man fish in the morning and the late afternoons and evening they'd work on the boat. He even got a place to sleep - though it was just the floor, at least there was a roof.

Sixteen days later he left in the newly-repaired boat, sailing southeast to the nearest of the surrounding islands. The boat small light, and fast - it would save him time, probably enough so he'd be able to search an island every day.

* * *

Kenji watched the stranger sail away. There had been something familiar about him - something that had reminded him of Honoka. It was something in the color of the hair, the shape of the face - there was a similarity there he couldn't ignore. His personality was similar, too; down-to-earth and simple, yet upbeat. Both of them - they did what they had to do, worked hard, and generally maintained a good attitude about it.

He needed to let the Rebellion - actually, they weren't a rebellion anymore, they'd finally managed to depose Yagura - he needed to let them know about the boy. And not just because of the familiarity of his features, but also because he'd been awfully suspicious. He'd needed a boat for travel, but he'd not said where he was going or why, nor had he mentioned where he'd come from. He'd been dressed in sturdy, nondescript clothing, without any identifying marks.

Kenji huffed, he'd not planned on going into the town proper until the end of the week, but the sooner the new Mizukage's people knew about him, the better. He went to the bar in town, which during the war had served as an information outpost for the rebellion, and he figured it still would be - the Mizukage, powerful though he was, couldn't be in all places at once, and needed to know all about what was happening in his country.

So he informed the barkeep of the boy, who would pass the information on to other members of the group and they'd send some shinobi to track him. It would be fine.

* * *

Raiden's routine had changed very little from what he'd been doing before - wake up, sail or row to the next island, strike camp, meditate in Sage Mode. If the island was big enough, he'd spend two or even three days to make sure he covered it all. In the three weeks since he'd gotten the boat he'd made his way through the southern and eastern islands and was approaching the biggest northern island, which would take at least five days just on its own - it was a quarter the size of the main island.

How long had it been now? He counted it up in his head and was surprised to realize it had been just over two months since he'd left Konoha. Just over two months since Tsunade had healed him - and one more, according to her prediction, that he had until his chakra coils started to collapse again. It was a bit worrying - but there was nothing he could do about it besides what he was already doing. So he moored his boat, pitched camp (set out his bedroll), ate a ration bar, and started meditating.

Still no Isobu, but there was, however, a small town on the edge of the island, a kilometer or so from where he'd moored the boat. They shouldn't be a problem; it was better he just got some sleep.

* * *

A scuff woke him moments before he was forcibly restrained and though it was dark he could make out a figure dressed in dull shades of dark green and blue and wearing a mask. Hunter-nin. There was another one holding his arms behind his back, and there was probably another one or two of them somewhere around, just watching. He sighed.

"Who are you?" The one in front of him asked.

"Raiden."

"What is your purpose here?"

"Well, I'm trying to find a cure for my terminal condition."

The hunter-nin he could see made a hand sign and there was a crinkling noise behind him - paper - and Raiden's eyes widened.

"Wait - no - !"

But the seal - a chakra inhibitor - had been placed on the back of his neck. On an ordinary person, it would have no effect. On a shinobi, it would prevent conscious control and restrict chakra flow to the minimum necessary for survival. On Raiden -

A burning started in his gut and his chest tightened, restricting his breathing. He drew his knees up and hunched over in an attempt to ease the pain; it didn't help.

The weakened flow of chakra through his coils had lessened the pressure keeping them properly inflated. If this kept up for much longer his coil would collapse and if he couldn't get to the chakra tags in time he'd die within a couple hours.

"My bag - " he wheezed, now barely able to talk. "Please - need seal tag - "

Because of course if anything counted as an emergency, this did. He wished he'd had more time until he'd had to use it, but he couldn't change it now. He coughed once, then again, and managed to catch his breath. "I'll die."

One of the other hunter-nin appeared and pulled a tag out of Raiden's bag and placed it over the chakra inhibitor. Nine-tails chakra flooded into him, burning away the inhibitor in the process. Raiden deepened his breathing gradually until it felt almost normal, then explained.

"I can't use chakra right now. There's something here that can cure me, but I can't survive with less than a full volume of chakra in my coils - one is partially collapsed."

The first hunter-nin nodded, then made more hand signs and everything went black.

* * *

He woke up later alone in a cell and groaned. Thankfully they hadn't put on another chakra inhibitor, but he'd been tied up securely - thin cords circled his wrists and ankles - the latter having some slack so he could walk - and ninja wire wrapped pinned his arms to his torso, tight enough that if he tried to break free it would cut into his arms and chest. At least they hadn't killed him yet - though that was probably because they wanted to interrogate him. They'd also propped him up, which was nice.

He waited a little while - maybe fifteen minutes, maybe half an hour, it was hard to tell - and the door opened. A man walked in - was it one of the hunter-nin that had captured him? Apparently not; the man's eyes widened in surprise.

"He was right… you really do look like her…"

Wait. _What?_ Was it possible they'd kept him alive for more than just interrogation? The man walked close and Raiden watched him warily; but he took out a kunai and sliced through the wire. He rolled his shoulders in relief.

"Come on, we're going to see the Mizukage."

That was confusing. Normally protocol was to go straight to T&I - at least that's what it was in Konoha - and he'd thought it would be especially so in Kiri because she would have so much to do that delegation would be a necessity. Perhaps it was something to do with his resemblance to this mysterious 'her'?

The man put a blindfold on him and he was led out of the cell and down a hallway, then out of the building - they made a few detours and he just followed until they stopped and the blindfold was pulled off. They were in front of a door; the man knocked and a muffled - but strangely familiar - voice told them to enter.

The man opened the door and Raiden just about tripped as he saw the new Mizukage. It wasn't Mei Terumi, as he'd expected, the one who, as he remembered, had finally managed to depose Yagura. No, it was the one who in his time had failed, and eventually died ignominiously, a shinobi without a village? But he had changed things, hadn't he? And who was to say what he'd changed hadn't had other effects? One of which being the identity of the Mizukage. He shrugged mentally and turned his attention to the others in the room. One was Ao - the Kiri nin who'd been the Mizukage's right hand in his time, and the other was - from what he could see, she had her back turned - a younger woman with her red hair in a thick braid. He squinted at her - their hair was almost the same color. That was odd; that shade of red was usually only found in members of the Uzumaki clan -

She turned to face him and he drew in a quick breath that she mirrored; the shape of their faces were almost exactly the same, though she had a bit rounder jaw and narrower eyes. But their cheekbones, their noses, they were the same. It was downright weird.

"Hey, why's he tied up?" she asked pointedly. Apparently she wasn't aware of his current prisoner situation then. "And why does he look like me?"

"Don't ya know?" he asked cheerfully. "I'm a prisoner! They found me wandering around the country, so I'm obviously a spy for another nation." He smiled at her, a big fake grin. "Except for the part that I can't use chakra or I'll die."

She frowned. "What's your name?"

"Raiden Uzumaki, at your service. I'd greet you properly, but…" he held out his bound wrists in front of him and shrugged.

She looked horrified. "I - I'm Uzumaki, too - they can't treat you like this, you're _family_ \- "

"All right, Honoka, settle down," Zabuza said. She looked about to retort, but he signaled something and she clenched her jaw. "Family he may be, but he has yet to properly explain himself and what he was doing in Mizu and sending out strange chakra pulses - for weeks."

Raiden was inwardly rejoicing; he'd found another family member! Granted, he wasn't in the best situation, but his family had just grown by one and even with his situation she was already defending him.

"So why are you here?" Zabuza asked. "Explain in detail. And truthfully."

The truth was a bit fantastical. He'd do an edited version instead.

"I was previously a jinchuuriki. My bijuu was taken by a masked man." That was technically true; he'd had Kurama's yang half taken during the war. "My chakra system started collapsing, but due to my Uzumaki heritage I was able to survive until I got healed by Lady Tsunade. It was temporary, however, and to survive I need a supply of bijuu chakra for my system to repair itself - in effect, I need to become a jinchuuriki once again. I happened to know that you have a bijuu floating around - the late Mizukage was one - so I decided to go for it."

Ao butted in, looking angry. "You want our bijuu?"

"Yes."

"And what possessed you to think we would just let you take it?"

"Not it. Him," Raiden said pointedly. "Truthfully, I'd hoped you wouldn't notice, but I now realize that was a long shot. But if that failed, I could offer you information. And, temporarily, certain services - perhaps recovering certain blades? And your other jinchuuriki?"

Zabuza frowned, the bandages around his mouth crinkling. "Untie him."

Raiden sighed in relief and rubbed his wrists - the cords around his ankles were taken off, too. He glanced over at Honoka, who looked excited.

"Honoka, you're keeping a watch on him until I decide what to do with him," Zabuza said.

Raiden had one small point he wanted to make before they left. "If that's so, Mizukage-sama, I have two requests: first, may I have my belongings back? The tags I have in my pack are chakra stores that help keep me alive. And second, can you decide within a week? That's a bit before my chakra tags will run out."

He bowed, and Zabuza, looking annoyed, agreed and shooed him out - Honoka, too. The man who'd brought him there was waiting outside, and Honoka notified him of Zabuza's order to collect his things.

* * *

 **AN: I wasn't expecting anything in this chapter to happen. Really just playing it by ear at the moment.**

 **Oh yeah - Honoka is kind of canon. She appears in Shippuden ep. 227 (as a ghost, actually) but the abandoned facility didn't look that old, and hey, who's to say she wasn't part of the Kiri rebellion before she helped in accidentally creating evil creepy death-summons?**

 **Also, sorry about all the line breaks but I had a lot of ground to cover and I'm kind of terrible at transitioning still.**


	8. Chapter 8: Isobu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Kiri was nice, it really was; he just didn't have the energy nor the inclination to appreciate it at the moment. He was more in awe of the discovery of a new relative, as well as tired and sore from the close call with his chakra earlier. He tried to pay attention as Honoka lead him around the village, pointing out the mundane things.

"And that right there is the best ramen stand in Kiri - "

He stopped and inhaled deeply through his nose. It sure smelled good.

"Hey, mind if we stop here?" He asked, suddenly realizing that the pain in his stomach was from hunger rather than chakra burns.

"Um, sure."

He walked up to the ramen shop, Honoka close behind, and they sat down.

"Can I have a miso ramen?" he asked. "With lots of naruto, if you have it." He supposed it was a little strange to be eating his namesake, but it was honestly delicious. Honoka glanced at him oddly but he shrugged - there was no way she'd know.

"I'll get the same - the usual for me." So that's what she'd been surprised about. They liked the same type of ramen.

"A fellow ramen-lover, huh?" She said, smiling.

"Of course! Ramen is the food of the gods!" He might not eat it as much as he used to, having learned the value of proper nutrition, but there was nothing that would make him give it up entirely. Honoka, however, looked entirely gratified.

"I know, right? They're always saying I'm crazy because I like it so much - it's nice to finally meet someone who understands!" He laughed.

"There's another ramen enthusiast in Konoha - our cousin Naruto." She gaped.

"No way that's actually his name."

"No, it really is," he assured her. "His parents got the name from a book written by someone they knew - he'd been eating ramen when he named his character but his parents liked the character so Naruto it was."

She burst out laughing and he couldn't help laugh a little too - really, was it his mom or his dad who had named him? His mom was the one who'd liked ramen a lot, but his dad was the one who'd been taught by Jiraiya. But his mom had probably known Jiraiya really well, what with her seal and all…

He stopped thinking about it when the ramen arrived and he started slurping, Honoka joining him a moment later. He asked for another bowl after he'd finished, then one more after that - Honoka was a bit surprised that he'd managed to finish the third bowl, by her expression. He was, too - but only because his exhaustion had caught up to him. He'd almost face-planted into his bowl a couple times, but managed to save himself at the last second.

He dug around in his pack for his wallet and placed the appropriate payment on the counter. Honoka watched him carefully.

"You look exhausted," she noted, concerned. "Let's head back to my place - you can rest there."

He nodded and followed her. She walked quickly; the fast pace helped keep him awake. Soon enough they were at a small stone building. She led him over to the stairs on the side and they climbed up two flights, then turned off into a hallway. She took the left side and passed a couple doors before opening the third.

"Home sweet home," she said, gesturing around. He walked in and removed his sandals; she closed the door behind him and did the same. "I hope you're fine with sleeping on the floor - I do have an extra futon."

"It's fine. Beats sleeping on the ground."

"Right then. Bathroom is there," she said, pointing. "I'll be in my room if you need anything."

He nodded, and she disappeared into what he assumed was her room. He headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush his teeth. Running water really was nice.

When he finished he came back out and Honoka had just finished setting up her spare futon, to which he smiled gratefully. There was one more thing he had to say before he fell asleep though, just in case.

"If I'm not up by mid-morning, can you stick a chakra tag on me?" He held one up to show her. "It won't activate unless it's touching me - and it has to be placed over a bigger chakra coil. Preferably on my torso or the back of my neck."

"Okay. What's it for?"

"It's like a transfusion of really potent chakra. Keeps my damaged coil from collapsing completely," he explained simply.

"How often do you need them?" She asked. He frowned.

"Once a day, for now, but as time passes it'll be more frequent."

"Right. Don't worry about it, I don't want my new-found cousin to die." She smiled weakly and he returned it.

"Good, because I don't really want to die either."

Silence fell, in which both of them were standing, unsure what to say. He eventually broke it. "Good night, I guess."

"Yeah."

She went back into her room and he dropped onto the futon, out almost as soon as he'd laid down properly.

* * *

Honoka glanced at her clock - it was already past nine and he hadn't woken up yet. She picked up one of the chakra tags - he didn't have very many, she noted with alarm - and stuck one on the back of his neck, as he was lying flat on his stomach, his face turned to the side and his mouth slightly open. She chuckled as she noticed the thin trail of drool running down to his jaw. The tag hissed and steamed - what kind of chakra _was_ that, he'd said it was potent but to burn away high-grade seal paper like that?

Well. She was hungry and she wasn't going to be assigned missions until Zabuza had made his decision. And since Raiden didn't look like he was going to wake up anytime soon she'd just head out and get something to eat - and bring back something for Raiden, too; when he finally woke up he'd be hungry for sure. She didn't know what he'd eat but he'd liked ramen, and he'd been living off whatever he could gather and didn't seem too bothered by it. He didn't seem too picky, so she'd just get whatever she saw first - which, as it happened to be, was takoyaki. It wasn't quite as good as ramen but it was still pretty up there, so she settled. Plus, she was hungry, and she'd had ramen yesterday.

She wondered what to do the rest of the day - with her mission at the moment being keeping an eye on Raiden, she'd have lots of free time. Maybe she'd just ask him what he wanted to do when he woke up. Until then, she'd find something to occupy herself with.

* * *

 _Ugh._

His head felt fuzzy and his mouth tasted awful. He cracked an eye open; light was streaming in through the window - it was the middle of the day. He sat up and stretched, then crossed his legs and closed his eyes, still sitting straight. He meditated for a few minutes, assessing his chakra systems; from what had happened the past couple of days they were surprisingly well off. The coil had collapsed just a bit more, but thanks to the quick application of the chakra seal most of the damage from the limiter seal had been prevented.

Honoka must have stuck another seal on him that morning, too; the level of bijuu chakra in his system was too high for her not to have done so. That was good, then. He opened his eyes and looked around; Honoka wasn't in the main area and it didn't look like she was in the bathroom, either, so he took the opportunity to relieve himself and wash up a bit. The door opened as he came out and Honoka walked in, carrying a small container of something that smelled really good.

His stomach growled. Honoka laughed.

"I thought you'd be hungry so I got some takoyaki - I've already eaten so - "

"Thank you! You are my favorite cousin right now." He took the proffered container and opened it, foregoing the toothpicks and using his fingers to put one straight in his mouth. They were _really_ good and he smiled after swallowing - it was good manners, Teuchi had said - and made an exaggerated sound of appreciation. "They're really good!"

"Well, you know, seafood always tastes best when fresh, and we have lots of fresh seafood around here."

He finished another one and agreed. "Yeah. I'm not eating takoyaki anywhere else, then," he said seriously, eyes wide to show he was joking - mostly.

"Ha," she said. Apparently he wasn't as funny as he thought, as that was maybe only half a laugh at best. "All joking aside, was there something you wanted to do today? Because you're stuck here, and I'm stuck watching you, and as awesome it is to get to know a new cousin, I can't just sit and talk for hours."

That… was a really good point. He'd never been good at sitting still, either. But was there something he really wanted to do? He could use a good spar - no ninjutsu, of course, but taijutsu was perfectly fine. He needed to exercise his muscles properly, anyway - a busted chakra coil wouldn't hinder taijutsu abilities too much, and he'd not gotten a proper spar since the one with Shisui the first time he'd gone to Konoha. That was forever ago - three months, almost.

"Can we spar? Taijutsu only."

She looked surprised but smiled. "Yeah, of course. I'll need to find a place to do so - actually, nevermind, it's just taijutsu so we shouldn't have to worry about destroying anything. One of the ordinary training fields will be fine."

"Awesome."

She disappeared into her room and he finished up the last of the takoyaki she'd gotten him, tossing it into the trash bin. She reappeared and headed out. "Follow me, we're going to a training field."

He followed her to the outskirts of the city and a few minutes later she stopped. He looked around; there were several other groups there. A river cut through the field and he saw a group of kids practicing kata on the surface, watched carefully by several older ninja. He couldn't decide what was worse; practicing on boiling hot springs as he'd done or practicing on a freezing river.

"Hey, Honoka!" someone called, and he turned. Honoka looked excited. It was a man coming towards them, a couple other people in tow.

"Daiki, long time no see!" She gave him a hug and Raiden took a minute to observe. The man looked around Honoka's age, which made him a few years older than himself. Typical Kiri nin gear; black shirt and trousers with a grayish-purple flak vest. Light brown hair and eyes, a couple inches taller and broader than himself. He carried a sword on his back - that would extend his range quite a bit -

"Who's the new guy?" Daiki asked, and Raiden shook himself out of his thoughts as Honoka introduced him.

"Oh yeah! This is Raiden Uzumaki - a new cousin. He's here for - "

Raiden elbowed her and she stopped talking, looking a bit sheepish. "I'm an envoy from Ame, we're extending a tentative hand of friendship."

"Right," she agreed. The two others had joined them - another man and a woman - and Honoka continued with the introductions. "Raiden, these are my friends Daiki, Fuyumi, and Atsuo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said, bowing slightly, and they responded in turn.

"What brings you here?" Fuyumi asked, a friendly tone in her voice.

"I was hoping to have a good spar," he answered. Fuyumi bounced in place, looking excited.

"What kind of spar? I've been looking for someone to test my new jutsu on - these two are too scared," she admitted, gesturing to Daiki and Atsuo.

"I'm afraid I have to say taijutsu only, my chakra has been temporarily disabled."

Fuyumi frowned. "That's too bad."

"Alright, Fuyumi, don't be too intrusive," Atsuo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're welcome to spar with us as you wish, we'll stick to taijutsu as well."

"I'd love to," he said, and Honoka beamed.

"Great! I call first against Raiden!" He really should have expected that; there was no way any ninja with any pride wouldn't challenge a newcomer, especially when threat of actual death was minimal. They both warmed up - Honoka performed a few basic kata, he jogged a lap around the training grounds and did some basic stretches. No point in showing his fighting style early.

When the both of them had warmed up sufficiently, they faced each other, both of them making the seal of confrontation. And then they were off.

Raiden stayed on the defensive at first; dodging and blocking with the occasional counterattack. As he'd expected, Honoka was more of an offensive-type fighter. It was just unfortunate that so was he.

He blocked a kick coming for his head and smiled, more of a smirk really. Honoka's eyes widened and so she wasn't as surprised as she might have been when he was suddenly behind her and had taken her feet out from under her.

"What was _that?_ " she demanded as he helped her up.

"I'm pretty fast," he said, shrugging.

"Pretty fast! That was fast on the level of, well, I don't know, but it was faster than I've seen almost anybody else move! And that was without chakra!"

"I train a lot."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine then. Hey, Fuyumi! You're next up!"

What was this, a challenge the newcomer game? Whatever it was, he was glad for the chance at a decent workout. And some social interaction; it was nice to have people around after being alone for so long. He hated to say it, but he'd missed having someone to talk to, even if it was the thousand-year-old demon in his head.

"You ready?" He asked, and Fuyumi nodded, looking calmer now.

Honoka started the spar, and this time Raiden attacked first, aiming a hand at the solar plexus where Fuyumi's arms weren't quite covering. Her hand dropped quickly and pushed his aside and he turned as she aimed a punch at his back in time to catch it on his arm instead. She was certainly a lot faster than Honoka; she might even be faster than he was. Although, if he'd been in top shape, he had no doubt he'd be faster. She looked surprised that he'd managed to block it and her eyes narrowed.

They traded blows back and forth until she got in a lucky hit that winded him.

"You two can keep sparring, I'll just spar with these guys," Honoka interrupted, standing between Atsuo and Daiki. Raiden nodded, keeping watch on Fuyumi out of the corner of his eye; he didn't want to lose sight of her while still technically in enemy territory, no matter how friendly those enemies seemed.

She didn't try to pull anything, though, so they went back to sparring. They continued for another couple hours, when they finally took a break for a late lunch - it was almost the middle of the afternoon. Honoka's three friends had brought lunches, and Raiden was prepared with a couple ration bars in his pockets - he never knew when he was going to get hungry, or be in a situation that food wasn't readily available. Honoka hadn't brought anything, but they pooled their resources and everyone got at least something to eat.

It was when they were just finishing up that Ao appeared, looking faintly disapproving.

"The Mizukage wishes to speak with our little visitor here," he said, and Honoka frowned at his rudeness. It didn't matter much to Raiden; he'd heard worse all throughout his childhood. "You too, Honoka."

"See you later, then," she said, turning to her friends.

"Yeah, have fun!" Fuyumi answered. "And it was nice meeting you, Raiden."

He blinked in surprise and smiled. "It was nice meeting you too - all of you. Thanks for putting up with me."

"All right, enough pleasantries," Ao interrupted. "The Mizukage is a busy man, we don't want to keep him waiting."

Both him and Honoka shrugged and turned to follow Ao, who was already heading off towards the center of the village.

* * *

"Go seal it. And then you keep your end of the deal."

"I'm sorry, what?" Zabuza had spoken as soon as they'd entered the room and he wasn't quite sure what the older man was referring to.

"The three-tails. Go seal it. Then bring me the swords and the six-tails jinchuuriki, like you promised."

Right, that deal. Wait a minute… _they'd agreed_. He'd known going in that it was a long shot, but they'd actually _agreed._ He fought hard to keep a smile off his face and bowed.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

"You'll be going with a team, as well."

Raiden's smile faded. That changed things. With other people he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Isobu before the sealing - he'd have to do it after. And he couldn't very well just call him 'Isobu' like that; nobody in Kiri knew the bijuu had names, let alone the names of the bijuu affiliated with them. And if he couldn't talk to Isobu beforehand that would make the sealing that much more difficult.

"If I may ask, who will be on this team?"

"You'll see when you leave tomorrow."

Well that was simultaneously very irritating and a clear dismissal. He sighed and left, but had to wait outside for Honoka to finish talking to Zabuza. It gave him a few minutes to think, though. First off - it was strange seeing Zabuza as Mizukage. He'd seen the man cry. He'd seen him _die_. And here he was, as stone-faced as he'd first appeared, leading a village. It was a bit worrying, to be honest - if he'd changed enough that an entire government was affected, then how could the whole Madara situation have changed?

There was no use worrying about it; for the time being he had to focus on not dying, preferably. And that brought him to a different train of thought - who would be on the team Zabuza assembled? It couldn't be too big, else it would attract undue notice. There would have to be someone good with sealing, as well as another fairly strong ninja - there was no way he'd let a rogue jinchuuriki rampage around the countryside, so he'd have assembled a team that could stop one.

It was a fair bet that Honoka was one of the members - Zabuza would have picked up on the value of family to Uzumaki and figured he'd be more reluctant to hurt her if it came to blows. Which it wouldn't, of course - four tails was always when he'd finally succumbed to Kurama's hatred and the gap between three and four tails was rather large. And he really didn't feel like starting a major conflict with an entire country, either.

The door opened and Honoka walked out, looking all sorts of excited. He'd guessed right then.

"We should go to sleep early," he suggested. "Early start tomorrow, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm on the team for the sealing."

"Of course. You've done a great job babysitting me so far."

She agreed, laughing, and they headed to her home, where they spent the hours before dinner discussing sealing techniques and relevant jutsu. And they did go to sleep early. There was no telling how much sleep they'd get on the road.

The next morning they woke up early and had an actual breakfast, with real food - miso soup and rice and fish that was left over from their dinner the night before. They needed all the energy they could get for the long day ahead - or at least he did; he didn't have chakra to substitute.

They made their way to the Mizukage's office, both rather subdued - neither of them was a morning person, even if he'd gotten used to waking up early - and come to think of it, neither was Naruto or Satoshi or Nagato. Maybe it was a family thing? Whatever it was, they were both stifling yawns as they entered his office.

Two other ninja were there - Mei Terumi and someone else he didn't recognize, although he was carrying the sword that in his time had been Chojuro's. He also looked very similar to that one ninja Sasuke had teamed up with, Suigetsu. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Honoka had straightened her posture into something more respectful. He didn't bother.

"Now that we're all finally here," Terumi said archly, "Let's head out."

"Yes ma'am!" he was startled into saying - he remembered her from the war, when he'd still been just a teenager. She'd been scary then, and he had no doubt that even if she was several years younger than he remembered, she was still just as imposing as she'd been then, if not more so - now she had a legitimate reason to dislike him.

She brushed by him and he stood very still until she'd passed. The other guy paused at the door and gestured for him and Honoka to go ahead - probably wanted to have him in his line of sight. Raiden would have done the same thing.

The four of them regrouped just outside the city limits. In order to function as a team, they would have to put aside all differences and learn each other's relevant strengths and abilities. Introductions were promptly made; Terumi just as curt as she'd been in the office. The man was Mangetsu Hozuki, one of the few remaining Seven Swordsmen - and, as he'd suspected, Suigetsu's older brother. He was rather taciturn but not overtly hostile, so Raiden counted it as a win.

Honoka he knew already, and they knew about him so the introductions went quickly, and they set off towards the location of the three-tails, which, apparently, they'd already known. If only he'd been caught by them earlier; it would have saved him a lot of time. Although, he could have done without the potentially fatal capture. That hadn't been fun.

"The three-tails is on Tide Island. We will travel during the day and rest at night; there's no point in having our jinchuuriki candidate exhausted when it's time to seal the three-tails away."

He should have expected that Terumi would be the mission's leader; though Mangetsu was a point of national pride with his mastery of the blades, he was still really young, perhaps only a few years or so Raiden's senior. Terumi, on the other hand, had both the authority and the experience - she had, after all, been the Mizukage in the past future.

He nodded, there was no need to really say anything and it was probably best not to antagonize them, however accidentally.

* * *

"Honoka, now!" He yelled, and she dropped to her knees, slapping her hands down on the seal he'd painted on the rocky outcrop. The seal lifted, each character forming a link in the group of long chains. They shot towards Isobu, wrapping around him, and he roared.

Raiden finished the lengthy series of hand seals and threw his hands out, yelling, "FUUIN!"

Pain. Incredible pain. He'd hurt like this before, when he'd reached four tails of Kurama's chakra for the first time and the influx of chakra had taken its toll on his body.

But it was working: Isobu was shrinking, the chakra sealing chains restricting, and as he looked down at himself he could see the orange chakra shroud (he'd tapped into the last of Kurama's chakra) turning a muddy brown, which steadily turned greener as Isobu's chakra flooded in and the last of Kurama's chakra was spent. The pain was beginning to fade - either his chakra had decided to accept Isobu or his body was shutting down - but he pushed on until Isobu had disappeared entirely and there was a strange pulsing in his new seal. He sat down heavily, panting, completely exhausted.

He allowed himself a moment of awe for his father - the man had managed to split the nine-tails chakra and seal part of it in himself, and then go on to seal the other half as well _after_ being impaled. He truly had been a genius worthy of the title Hokage.

He tried to stand but swayed as the world around him grew dark. Blackness obscured his field of view and he passed out.

* * *

His mindscape had changed drastically. It must have been Isobu; Raiden didn't know that he could have conjured up what he saw in front of him by himself. Mostly because he'd never seen anything like it before.

It was dark as it had been previously, except unlike before when there was only a thin layer of water covering the floor it filled the cavernous space, which also looked more naturalistic than the previous sewer configuration. In short; his mind was currently an enormous underwater cavern, though somehow he could still breathe. Rock columns partitioned off a large cave set into the far side of the cavern, the kanji for 'fuuin' set into the central column.

Behind the wall of columns was Isobu. He was seething; Raiden could feel it, as well as see it; the water around him was uncomfortably hot and strong current whipped at his clothes and hair. The water was murky and dark as well, lowering the visibility drastically. He sat down in front of the cave, folding his legs under him, and waited patiently to be noticed. Isobu paused in his raging and came to the front of the cave, right up to the rock columns.

"Hello, Isobu," he said, and the entire area changed. The water cooled, the darkness lightened, and the currents slowed.

"How do you know that name?" Isobu's voice had the same magnitude as Kurama's, but it wasn't quite as deep, nor was it so gravelly.

"I heard it from you," he said. "Of course, for you it hasn't happened yet, but for me it was several years ago."

"You…it is you who Father told us about, is it not?"

"I - think so?" Raiden guessed, nonplussed. "I mean, Kurama did say something about that at one point, but the Old Man never did."

"You met our Father? Under what circumstances was that possible?"

Raiden opened his mouth, about to explain, but closed it again, frowning. If he tried to explain everything it would take a very long time; better just to show him.

So he called up his memories and showed Isobu the relevant parts - mostly the war, Kaguya, and a bit of the aftermath, occasionally clarifying something when Isobu asked. By the end of it, Isobu was much calmer and was prepared to think rationally - and brought up a very good point.

"My chakra is not the same as Kurama's," he warned. "You have an advantage because of your history with Kurama and your Uzumaki blood, but it will still be difficult."

"I wasn't expecting anything less," Raiden answered. "I'm not that lucky."

"You were lucky enough to live," Isobu pointed out. "The gods do not allow that of just anyone."

Huh. He hadn't realized the bijuu were religious. Maybe it was peculiar to Isobu; the only figure Kurama had held something like faith for was the Sage of Six Paths. But he had had half of his chakra sealed in the Shinigami's belly for several years…perhaps it was just Kurama being contrary.

* * *

He groaned as he attempted to open his eyes, deciding immediately to shut them again. His head hurt, along with his whole body - it reminded him vaguely of when he woke up after Gamabunta had finally coerced him into having a drink with him, except that time he hadn't also been suffering from severe chakra exhaustion as well as foreign chakra running through his body.

No, this was more like when he'd been revived after Madara pulled out Kurama's yang chakra and he'd woken up with the yin chakra in him instead. Before he'd been revived he'd technically been dead - and now that he thought about it, something like that had probably happened.

"He's awake," someone said - it had to have been Mangetsu; the voice was decidedly male. Raiden sat up - _ouch_ \- and cracked his eyes open, letting only a little light through.

"Water?" His throat was dry enough that it felt like sandpaper when he talked or swallowed. Mangetsu handed him a bottle of blessedly cool water and it was very hard to restrain himself to taking small sips, but if he didn't he'd end up getting sick and he'd rather that not happen.

Terumi and Honoka appeared, standing on either side of Mangetsu and watching him carefully. They might have been watching to make sure he hadn't been taken over by Isobu, but it would be pointless of them to do that - if he had been taken over, they would have realized it a lot sooner. But then again, the whole situation with Yagura had probably been pretty confusing.

"It's okay," he said. "The three-tails and I have come to an agreement."

They looked at him skeptically but accepted it; he hadn't gone on a rampage or exhibited any loss of control - that he knew of - so there really wasn't anything they could do but believe him.

"So what's the plan now?" He asked. He still needed medical attention, there was no escaping that. His chakra coils wouldn't be in danger of collapsing any longer now that Isobu's chakra was in them, but there were still small tears in the coils; he wouldn't hurt so bad if there wasn't. And the only person he knew that would be able to properly heal him would be Tsunade.

"You still have to fulfill your end of the agreement," Terumi said. "Are you currently physically capable of that?"

"I'm not," he admitted. "Despite not being in immediate danger of death any longer, my chakra is still really messed up and I need some serious healing, which I trust only Tsunade to do. I also need to inform my leader about recent developments."

Apparently that wasn't what Terumi had hoped for, but her expression was more resigned than disappointed - she hadn't expected much better than the current situation.

"It's settled then - back to Kiri, then Ame."

* * *

 **AN: I really don't like writing transitions/filler. I come up with these scenes I want to write that are reasonably close together but then I have to explain how I get from one to the other and that's not quite as fun.**


	9. Chapter 9: Deal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Raiden stood a bit nervously - he didn't know why he was nervous, really, except then he thought it out and yeah, he had good reason. In a few minutes he'd have to explain what happened to the Mizukage - which just so happened to be Zabuza, who, though the man didn't know it, had had a huge impact on Raiden's morals in the past future - he as Naruto had admired him. Aside from that, in a purely objective standpoint, if Zabuza decided he (Raiden) was too much of a risk, Raiden didn't know if he'd be able to survive an attack, even with Isobu now inhabiting his body.

Thankfully he'd have Honoka with him as his official minder - she reminded him a lot of Naruto, actually; she had the same optimism, something that Raiden had, unfortunately, mostly abandoned out of necessity. There were only so many disappointments one could take - disappointments meaning crushing revelations - before cracking, so he'd learned to compartmentalize and think logically. Which he _really_ needed to do now, because the Mizukage was now apparently ready to see him.

"Mizukage-sama," he greeted respectfully, bowing slightly. "As previously reported, sealing of the three-tails was successful. Except it didn't really have much of an effect on my chakra coils; they're still leaking. I need to go back home and recover properly before I'm fit enough to recover any of your rogue swordsmen."

Zabuza did not look happy. "How long will it take you to recover fully?"

"It's hard to know," Raiden replied, furrowing his brow. He really wasn't sure - when he'd wrecked the chakra network in his arm the first couple times he'd used the rasenshuriken it had taken him about a week to heal with Tsunade's help. But it wasn't just his arm that was injured now, it was his whole body. "A month or two, maybe?"

There was a long lull in the conversation - more of an interrogation, really - and it was hard to glean any sort of reaction from Zabuza's narrowed eyes - the bandages over his lower face didn't help, either. "One of the missing swords will be in my hands three months from now. If not we will hunt you down and kill you, regardless of the consequences."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama." That was a relief.

"Further negotiations and business can be discussed at the time when you deliver the first sword. Uzumaki Raiden, you are dismissed. Honoka, stay."

Raiden shot her a reassuring smile before closing the door behind him and leaned against the opposite wall to wait, noting a minute later that the Mizukage's office seemed to be completely soundproof. It was only a few minutes later that she exited, looking a bit pale but she managed a shaky smile in his direction.

"You okay?" He asked, concerned. She nodded.

"Fine. I'll be going with you, though - Mizukage-sama assigned it as a long-term mission." Raiden doubted that was all it was - something like missing her friends for a few months wouldn't upset a kunoichi of Honoka's caliber so much. Nonetheless, he replied happily.

"Great! You'll get to meet a few more of Uzumaki - one in Ame, a couple in Konoha. I've got friends in both. And I'm sure they'd like to meet you too - always room for family."

Her smile grew - stronger, more steady - and he counted it a win. "That sounds nice."

"We'll have to go to Ame first - that's where I'm officially living - and inform Nagato of the situation - he's actually the leader there, and he's Uzumaki too. After that it's Konoha, to actually get healed. And then - well. Who knows where those swords are?"

"Sounds like an adventure."

Raiden smiled feebly as Nagato glared at him. "Your network is still unstable and you were using chakra just to _go fast?_ You could have _died_ , idiot! No one cares if we have to wait a couple more weeks to see you, we'd rather see you alive than a corpse!"

"Well I'm not dead, though, am I?" He pointed out. "And I brought a cousin."

Said cousin was, currently, attempting not to smile at Nagato's outburst. "Hi! I'm Honoka. Nice to meet you."

Nagato's anger cooled and he greeted her back warmly. "No need for formal introductions - we're all family here. I'm Nagato, thank you for bringing this idiot back."

"Sorry about Raiden using his chakra, I just - "

"It's not your fault," Nagato said, staring him down again. "You can't see his chakra, you didn't know. Raiden tends to overdo things sometimes."

"I do not!" He protested, then actually thought about it. He'd worn himself out training to the point of exhaustion more than he could count, and had injured himself stupidly multiple times doing the same things, and had made some rather self-sacrificing decisions during his time as Naruto, the least of which was letting Sasuke nearly kill him. More than once. Nagato… was actually right. And it seemed the habit had followed him into this life as well. "Well. Maybe."

And then he was stumbling forward, having been practically body-slammed from behind.

"Hey, heard you were back! Konan, he's back!"

"Hello, Yahiko," he grunted, still feeling Yahiko's overenthusiastic greeting. His friend had put an arm around his shoulders and was leaning half his weight on him and grinning madly. "Hi Konan."

"Nice to have you back, Raiden. Yahiko, get off him please."

"But Raiden doesn't mind!" Raiden gave him a sideways _look_ and Yahiko backed up quickly. "Just kidding!"

Honoka, at that point, had failed completely in her attempt to stifle laughter and all attention turned towards to her. Raiden took over introductions.

"Konan, Yahiko, this is Uzumaki Honoka. Honoka, these two are Yahiko and Konan, the two lieutenants, so to speak, of Ame. Even though one of them doesn't seem like he's capable of responsibility."

Yahiko took revenge in the form of a headlock, which Raiden managed to get out of quickly. As much as he liked the reunion part, he did need to inform them what was going to happen next - what he'd signed himself up for in order to stay alive. So -

"As much fun as this is, I have some news," he announced. Nagato nodded and led them to another room with chairs and couches, where they all sat down.

"First things first: Mist got me and I made an agreement with them. They allowed me to have the three-tails and I have to now gather the swords missing from their seven swords."

Predictably, Nagato sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yahiko frowned, and Konan's forehead creased - she always was the best at controlling her emotions and thinking rationally.

"I was able to seal the three-tails, with Honoka's help," he continued, "but my chakra coils are still leaking. I'm able to use chakra, but only small amounts, and it's kind of painful. And my control is shot. So I'm going to head back to Konoha for healing. Tsunade's there, and she's the best healer there is - and she's healed me from similar circumstances… before, so I know I'll be fully recovered soon."

He hoped they'd be able to get what he meant by 'before' but figured it didn't matter overly much. "How about it?"

"What is Uzumaki-san's role in all this?" Konan asked. "I doubt the Mizukage would give her leave to meet distant cousins."

Raiden laughed. "She's actually more or less here to babysit me for the Mizukage. Make sure I keep up my end of the bargain. Meeting relatives is just a plus."

"That's about right," Honoka volunteered. "There's a bit more, but that's the main part."

"There's a merchant caravan heading to Konoha in a few days - the mission request was put in today," Yahiko interjected, leaning forward. "The both of you could stay here for a couple days before traveling there. It would take care of travel, and we're sending a team with them already - couldn't hurt to have extra backup."

Raiden was quietly wondering if the team was their backup, or if they were the backup for the team. It didn't matter though, Yahiko's input had answered the question of traveling to Konoha - he wouldn't have minded walking, but it was slow. Going with the caravan would provide conversation and would be a bit faster, not to mention probably safer.

The next two days went fast; the first day was spent saying hellos and getting caught up with friends in the Ame forces. The second was spent showing Honoka around the city and familiarizing himself with the changes that had occurred. It seemed busier than before, and though the skies were gray and rain was pouring down it seemed more cleansing than miserable. And of course, both evenings were spent with the Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko.

The third day dawned clear, to Raiden's surprise and he was rather grateful because it would - hopefully - make the bridge out of the village less slick. Less chance of slipping, especially for the merchant caravan. Which was good, because broken wagons would not help in getting to Konoha more quickly. He gave brief hugs to the three of them - Honoka did so as well - and then they set off to meet their new team.

They stopped on a balcony above where the bridge exited the city, looking down. The assigned team was already there - a man and a woman, both clad in the current ninja uniform - gray-blue tunic and trousers, paired with sandals and a scarf. They probably had cloaks in their packs - it never stayed dry in Amegakure for long, even if Nagato wasn't using his rain jutsu.

There was a boy, too, shifting from foot to foot in either nervousness or impatience, possibly both. He was maybe eleven or twelve with hair the same color as Shin. Perhaps a relative? His facial features were indistinct at the distance they were at.

"We should probably go down," he said mildly, then grinned. "Or we could hop on when the caravans pass, see how long it takes them to notice?"

Honoka laughed. "That's mean," she said. "Let's not traumatize the kid."

"Spoilsport," he retorted, still smiling, and dropped over the railing, landing a few feet behind the three shinobi. Honoka landed softly just behind him. They all turned, a bit tense, and Raiden left his hands out at his sides so they could see they were empty. They relaxed after a moment - though the kid's expression was a bit odd.

His eyes were wide - the shape _was_ very similar to Shin's, along with his nose and cheekbones - a cousin or a younger brother?

"Don't worry kid," he said. "It'll be fun."

The kid shook his head. "I'm not - are you him?"

What? Raiden glanced over at Honoka, who looked as baffled as he felt, then over at the two ninja of the assigned team, who looked vaguely guilty - though it could have been embarrassment.

"Who?" He said, still utterly clueless.

The kid spoke in a hushed tone, eyes sparkling with awe. " _Raiden Uzumaki_. _"_

"Well, that is my name," he replied, taken off guard by the turn the conversation had taken. Honoka was openly snickering behind him, and he tried to shift some of the attention away by introducing her. "And this is my cousin Honoka Uzumaki from Kirigakure no Sato."

The boy and the two ninja greeted her politely and offered up their own names - he was Kyo, the man was Akio, the woman Jun - but the boy (he was Shin's nephew, apparently) just kept watching him quietly, even after the caravan had shown and they'd departed. And by the end of the day the hero-worship stare was beginning to wear on him.

Simple respect he appreciated. Admiration was okay. Hero-worship was just plain uncomfortable. Especially when he didn't know what it was _from_. So when they made camp that night he sat next to the kid as they ate.

"So, what's with the staring?" he asked bluntly. If the kid was embarrassed it was his own fault. Being watched like that always put him on edge.

The kid nearly dropped his dinner. "Uzumaki-san!" He adjusted his grip on his bowl and looked up at him, cheeks coloring. "Um. The staring… well, I heard stories about you. How you fought, in the war against Hanzou."

 _That_ was what the kid was so excited about? "Listen, Kyo, it's not that big a deal, I only helped. Konan and Yahiko and Nagato were the ones who really beat Hanzou."

"Well I already knew that, but you were _cool_."

"And where did you hear that?" Honoka said, butting in. "I don't think Raiden's ever been cool in his entire life."

Insults, now - it was official. They were officially true family members.

"I have too been cool!" The words were out before he'd thought it through and he winced. Why couldn't it have been something even slightly more mature sounding? He'd come a long way since twelve years old, there should be something to show for it. He scrabbled for an example, mind going blank. "I, ah… I switched with Konan! When Hanzou was holding her hostage! That was pretty cool."

"You did?"

"He totally did! That was one of the stories Akio and Jun told me!" Raiden sighed, but Kyo kept going. "They say that he showed up right as Hanzou was about to kill her and switched a clone with her - and then the clone blew up right in Hanzou's face!" Kyo lowered his voice and glanced around dramatically. "They say that if you see a ghost with its face melted off, it's Hanzou, come to seek his revenge against the man who killed him."

Raiden stiffened. "G-ghost?" He repeated. The fire was beginning to die down and the flickering flames cast eerie shadows on Kyo's face. They flickered on the underbrush ringing the clearing, too, moving in his peripheral vision, putting him on edge.

Kyo leaned forward further. "Akio swore he saw Hanzou's ghost just two nights ago," he whispered hoarsely. "He was saying something about a red-haired man."

Raiden was hyperaware, all his attention focused on the boy in front of him. "And Akio never lies."

"BOO!"

Raiden jumped, spilling what was left of his rations on the forest floor and turned, brandishing a kunai, eyes wide. Except then he realized he was pointing it at a Honoka completely overcome with hysterical laughter, Kyo not far behind.

"A-Akio might not lie, but I sure do!" Kyo choked out, and bent double, practically wheezing as he laughed.

"Very funny guys!" He said loudly. "Oh yeah, that's right, give your hero a heart attack!"

He stuck his kunai back in his pouch, hands still shaky from adrenaline. "You owe me a dinner," he grumbled. They just kept laughing - thankfully Jun and Akio were keeping an eye on the merchants, who were out of earshot at the moment. It took a few moments before they calmed down, and Kyo explained a bit.

"It wasn't the kid's fault, not really," Honoka said, still grinning. "I told him to tell a ghost story. "He set it up pretty good, though, thanks for that."

Kyo did look pretty proud of himself. Raiden sighed and sat back down, unsealing another ration packet and tearing it open. It looked entirely unappetizing but he ate it anyway.

The merchants were coming back over - he heard their feet scuff on the ground - and he stuck the remainder of his ration packet in his pocket. Jun and Akio were back, too, with a question.

"We're doing four hours watch, one switch," Jun explained. "I'm Akio's first with Kyo and Raiden, I'm on the second with Uzumaki-san."

Raiden was a bit surprised that he and Honoka had been included but he was an Ame resident and Honoka had come under his authority and Jun was the captain of the mission, giving her technical authority over Raiden until they reached Konoha. So he shrugged and stood and stretched, his back popping satisfyingly.

"Sounds good to me."

Jun lead Honoka towards the tent - it would fit the two of them easily enough, but Raiden decided that once it was time to rest he'd rather sleep somewhere else - Akio was quite a bit bigger than Jun and even though the he was actually slightly smaller than Honoka there was still Kyo. So, no thanks, he'd rather sleep outside. First, though, was to actually get through his turn on watch.

"We should be most on guard the next few nights, at least until we reach the border," he commented. "Unless I'm mistaken, Kusa isn't the most friendly with us and is openly hostile against Konoha because of the last war. If there's any chance we'll be attacked by a skilled enemy it will be in the next couple days."

"Yeah," Akio agreed. "I'll tell Kyo to stay alert."

Conversation ended then; it was difficult to listen for intruders if you were busy listening to your teammates. He kind of wanted to try Sage Mode, but it probably wasn't the best idea until his chakra coils were fixed. So he kept watch the old-fashioned way, by keeping his eyes and ears open. And in the four hours on watch, the only thing to note was that it started raining.

Jun and Honoka exchanged places with Akio and Kyo and Raiden went to find himself a place to sleep. There weren't really any trees around so he unsealed his self-made tent: some staves and connectors, along with a couple of tarps. It took only a few minutes to set up and take down, which was nice, and though it wasn't suitable for temperature extremes it got the job done. Especially since he'd never gotten sick from being outside.

He woke up the next morning to more freezing rain, which wasn't surprising. Most rainstorms in Ame lasted a few days. He'd would be surprised if it continued into Hi no Kuni, though - there was a mountain range just before the official border between the two countries. It was much drier on the other side of the border, though not nearly as bad as Kaze no Kuni.

Breakfast was rations again, though the merchants were kind enough to gift them some fresh fruits to eat as well, which made it more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been. He thanked them profusely, eliciting a few laughs in the process; life was more fun when there were smiles going around.

Kyo walked up, covering a yawn, and Raiden smiled himself. He was a good kid; maybe he should introduce him to Naruto? Kyo could be a good role model for Naruto to look up to - as well as a friend, since the village still seemed to have an allergy to Naruto's presence.

"Ready for another day of walking?" Raiden asked. "Or maybe trudging, if the roads turn into mud. With all this rain I'm surprised they haven't already."

"As long as the wagon wheels don't get stuck I'm fine with a little mud," Honoka said, butting in. "Get ready to move, Jun says we're leaving in ten."

They went over the campsite once more, just making sure everything was clear and they hadn't left anything behind. And then they were off, stationed individually around the line of wagons. The next week was rather uneventful, the only thing of note being the border crossing, but even that went without any trouble.

The climate started changing once they crossed the border, Hi no Kuni being much lower in elevation and a lot flatter, though there still weren't many trees yet. But the rain stopped the next day, and Raiden took great pleasure in flicking the water off his cloak.

It was a good day. The sun was shining, he wasn't aching anywhere, he had a new companion (who really just spent most of the day sleeping, but that was neither here nor there) and he had friends and family. He was outside on a beautiful day and nobody was trying to kill him. He was suddenly struck with an eagerness to get going, because he wanted to see Naruto - how odd was that, wanting to see his former self, though they really weren't the same anymore - and Satoshi and Tsunade and Shisui—

 _Shisui_. He'd managed to put it out of his mind, but in the original timeline the Massacre had happened around the time he'd been away - and he'd been away for a couple months, everything considered. That was plenty of time for everything to have happened and he just hoped that the clan hadn't been decimated again. His good humor turned to anxiety and he forced himself to think logically.

There was nothing he possibly could have done that he hadn't already, and knowing what he knew about Danzo and sharing his suspicions with the Hokage had to have changed the events from what they were in his timeline. He just wasn't sure how much they'd changed, and the changes had affected the Massacre at all. Nothing really to do but hope.

Honoka picked up on his anxiety when they stopped that night.

"What's wrong, Raiden?" She asked. "I could feel your agitation all the way from the other end of the wagon line. Your chakra kept going prickly."

"Just worried about a friend, is all," he said, purposefully being vague. He could see that it was frustrating her but there wasn't much else he could tell her without betraying village secrets - there were some things even shared blood couldn't excuse. And this qualified.

He wasn't sure whether or not to resign himself to the worst but he decided not to; it was better to just wait and see what had happened while he was gone so he wouldn't get ahead of himself. That didn't do anyone any good, least of all the Uchiha. And it was something he would have to accept, something he thought he had accepted - even though by some miracle he'd been granted the opportunity to change things, it just wasn't possible that he would save everyone. He couldn't stop old age. He couldn't stop disease. He couldn't stop natural disasters. He couldn't stop death, not when it was a natural part of life.

His grim mood lasted the rest of the journey regardless; just because he knew logically that he couldn't save everyone didn't mean he agreed with the sentiment emotionally. And it didn't mean he wouldn't regret any losses and grieve when they died.

And unfortunately for the others, the rest of the journey amounted to about three full weeks with him in a terrible mood, and his moods had always been infectious. Once they'd entered the forest his mood improved slightly - he'd missed the massive trees he remembered from his childhood. And then they'd reached the village's gates. There was a more in-depth screening process than the one he'd undergone on his first journey to the village as Raiden, which he couldn't decide was bad or neutral. It could just have been because of the traveling circumstances - he was traveling with a merchant caravan this time, and there was a ninja traveling with them from a village not part of an alliance with Konoha - but it also could have been because of internal unrest.

Whatever the reason, he tried not to dwell on it because there was nothing much he could do. From the gate they were escorted by a team of Konoha ninja, three of them. They all wore the navy uniform, including the dull green vest, so they all had to be at least chunin. He was willing to bet that at least one of them was a jonin, however; Honoka was a complete unknown to them and even if they were in an alliance with Ame alliances didn't guarantee safety, especially with one so new. The Konoha nin escorted them to where the merchants were supposed to end up, and then he and the others - Akio, Kyo, Jun, and Honoka - were escorted to the Hokage's office.

A basic mission report ensued, and the Ame ninja were led to the housing quarters of visiting ninja - Raiden hadn't realized those had existed before, but in hindsight he realized that was kind of a dumb thing to do. Especially when events like the chunin exams came along - as host village, they weren't going to make the leaders and high-ranked officials of other nations sleep outside in tents. It was a pride thing, a way to show culture and status. He shifted impatiently for the report to be concluded because he still had to explain his own situation to the Hokage, as well as ask about the Uchiha.

Finally, it seemed, the report was concluded and the Konoha team that had escorted led the Akio and Kyo and Jun to where they would be staying. Honoka and Raiden remained in the Hokage's office.

The old man got up and walked to the window where he stood, taking out his pipe and lighting it. He took a breath and then exhaled slowly. "I swear every time I turn around there is another one of you Uzumaki."

Honoka let out a short laugh at this. Raiden had failed to inform her of his... _unique_ relationship with the Hokage.

"I can explain that. But first... Shisui?" He used his friend's name to make sure he didn't leak any sensitive information, but the Hokage would know what he meant. He couldn't keep the hope out of his voice; the old man hadn't seemed weighed down or grieving so he thought that maybe, just maybe...

"There was an incident, but you will be glad to know all the relevant parties are, for the most part, safe."

Raiden beamed. It felt like the best news he had ever received. Honoka looked at him sideways, most likely glad he'd come out of his funk. He could get the whole story out of Shisui later, or the Hokage would tell him.

"But please, introduce me to this lovely young lady with you," the Hokage said kindly, though not without some reproach in his voice. "It doesn't do to completely forget manners."

Raiden pretend-scowled. At least most of it was pretend; sometimes the old man made him feel like a little kid again, and not in the good way.

"This is Honoka Uzumaki, of Kirigakure. They managed to get wind of me and, well, here I am."

"It's nice to meet you, Hokage-sama," she said, tone slightly informal. It wasn't a big deal, though, the old man had been informal first and the two of them had a mutual interest in poking fun at him. "I, in all honesty, have only been assigned to supervise Raiden, to make sure he fulfills his part of the bargain he offered in order for him to be steward over the three-tails."

"I see," the old man said. "And as for the terms of the deal - what is it that you offered, Raiden?"

"I offered my services to help them regain the swords that they don't have, you know, the ones missing from the seven. And the Mizukage gave me a time limit, I have to give them the first of the swords at the end of three months."

The old man furrowed his brow. "What, then, are you doing here?"

"While I was able to seal the three-tails inside me, with Honoka's assistance, my chakra coils still aren't entirely stable - there's some peripheral leakage. And the only person I know to be capable of healing that is Tsunade."

"Of course," he agreed. "If that's the case, then please, go to the hospital. It's been a month already; no sense in wasting time."

"Thanks, Old Man," he said, smiling - and then exited through the window. The Old Man scowled good-naturedly when Raiden looked back up after landing on the street below and Honoka quickly followed, most likely having been given permission by the old man. Because while they were in Konoha, Raiden was _her_ babysitter.

They set off towards the hospital together and Honoka laughed incredulously. "Why did you never tell me the Hokage was so entertaining?"

"I bring out the best in people," he retorted, not wanting to go into specifics of how exactly his relationship with the Hokage had formed into what it currently was.

"Right..."

"Just wait 'til you see Tsunade," he said mischievously. That would probably be more entertaining to her; with Tsunade there was a definite love-hate relationship. They were family but they made it a game to annoy each other to the point of exasperation. He felt a bit bad for Shizune, though - but hopefully Honoka would be able to commiserate with her.

When they reached the hospital Tsunade was, as usual, running roughshod over the nurses. But she took one glance at him and ordered him into the nearest hospital room, and Raiden couldn't help but notice the relieved faces of the other nurses she'd been talking to. He shot them a wink and saw a couple smother laughs. Honoka rolled her eyes.

"On the bed," Tsunade said briskly.

"Why," he said, in a faux-innocent tone, eyes wide, "I didn't - "

"Quit that," she ordered, sending him a glare, and he closed his mouth with an audible click. There were times when he valued his own life over a couple laughs. Although there was someone laughing; he frowned at Honoka.

So he did what she said and laid down on the bed. Tsunade's hand began to glow and it hovered over his body, assessing every inch of his chakra network. It was a quiet few minutes, and not a little tense - Tsunade's expression when she was working was dead serious. But then she sat back and smiled.

"Your chakra network is running much more smoothly, the volume is a bit lower but your chakra network is more resilient than most and it's close enough to the original volume that you'll be fine once we fix the leakage in the peripheral network. But your control will be shot," she warned.

"I figured as much," he said. "Nothing to do but practice for that."

"Leaks have to be sealed first," Tsunade said severely. "No practicing - of ANY kind - until your chakra system is running completely fine. Not even practicing hand seals."

He sighed. That was boring. He'd have to get someone else to teach Naruto the jutsu he'd promised, then. Or maybe he could show him the tree-climbing and water-walking exercises and have him practice them along with him? That would give him something interesting to do, and would help with any pranks. But he had promised an actual jutsu… and he'd always had trouble with the clone jutsu. He could teach him a water clone - a shadow clone would bring too much attention. And water clones could help with pranking too…

"But what if I'm doing something and then I accidentally make a hand seal?"

Tsunade expression was incredulous. "Under what circumstances would you accidentally make a hand seal?"

"Well…" he couldn't actually imagine a real circumstance in which that could possibly happen. Time to make something up. "What if I dropped my chopstick down the drain? And then I had to pick it up, but my thumb and index finger together were too wide so I had to make the tiger seal to pick it up?"

Tsunade looked like she was trying hard to keep from slapping him upside the head but then Honoka snorted, having failed in stifling laughter and she gave in.

"Ow," he informed them matter-of-factly. Tsunade just sighed and smiled.

"Go on and go home, brat. Naruto's missed you, as have Satoshi and your friend Shisui. I'm sure they'd like to see you." She turned to Honoka and held out her hand to shake. "And it was nice to meet you."

"Honoka. It was nice meeting you as well, Tsunade."

* * *

 **AN: Well, that was fun.**


	10. Chapter 10: Konoha Interlude

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Raiden held the door open for Honoka - a gesture of politeness - as he toed off his sandals.

"I'm hoooome!" He yelled, conveniently now ignoring the conventions of politeness. There was no response and he shrugged at Honoka, who was sending him an odd look. "Must not be home yet."

"You mean Naruto and… Satoshi, right?" Honoka asked.

"Yeah. Satoshi isn't usually home before six - he works at a blacksmith's on the other side of the village - but Naruto would usually come straight home from school," Raiden explained.

"He probably hasn't come home because there's nobody here. What kid wants to come home to an empty house?"

"Good point," he acknowledged. "You hungry? I definitely am." He headed over to the fridge and unfortunately wasn't very surprised to see only a few items - milk, a few eggs, and some old vegetables. He pulled out a cucumber and winced as he felt the rubbery skin. Cucumbers weren't supposed to be rubbery.

Honoka burst out laughing at the face he made.

"Guess we're going out to eat, then," he said. "Let's go to Ichiraku's - you haven't had proper ramen until you've been to Ichiraku's."

"I don't know," she said skeptically. "I've had pretty good ramen before. But I'm always up for trying new things."

"Just you wait," Raiden said, and they began to make their way there.

After a few minutes they got close enough that Raiden could catch tantalizing hints of the Ichiraku shop and judging by Honoka's discreet sniffs, she could as well. When they actually arrived Raiden greeted the two ramen-makers enthusiastically.

"Ichiraku-san! Ayame-chan! Guess who's back?"

Ayame beamed, having caught sight of them as they came up, but Teuchi hadn't, his back turned towards the street. "It sounds like my number two customer!"

"Number two!" Raiden gasped, mock-affronted. "How insulting!"

Teuchi turned and smiled warmly, communicating his true feelings. "We all know Naruto-kun has you beat - I don't think I've ever seen they boy full without another's wallet being empty."

"True, true," Raiden conceded. "I could never hope to win against Naruto." At least in an eating contest; otherwise his statement was uniquely ironic on several levels. But enough banter; he'd been hungry long enough. "Can I get a pork ramen, Teuchi-san?"

Honoka took that as her cue to order. "And can I get a salt ramen?"

Teuchi started prepping more noodles and the conversation began in earnest as Ayame commented on his and Honoka's similar facial features.

"Have you had a success, then, Raiden?" she asked, and he nodded proudly. "Yep! I'll let her introduce herself."

"Honoka Uzumaki," she said politely, but her smile was genuinely happy. "It's nice to meet friends of Raiden's, he's grown on me the last month."

"He tends to do that," Ayame agreed. "Though I'm not sure how."

Raiden was about to protest but that was when Teuchi placed a bowl of piping-hot ramen in front of him and his mouth started watering at the heavenly smell. He dug in eagerly and swallowed, ignoring the fact that he'd most likely burnt his tongue and it was going to feel like cotton for a few hours. As long as he could taste the ramen he didn't care.

Honoka was a bit more careful - she blew on her noodles to cool them first before taking a bite. As soon as she did, though, her eyes widened slightly and she swallowed. "This is _really_ good," she said. "My compliments."

"See?" He said triumphantly. "See? I told you it was the best ramen ever made!"

Honoka laughed. "Raiden, I swear, you've got to be one of the most childish people I know. Yes, it is delicious, now shut up and eat it."

He smirked into his bowl and continued eating until it was empty, then continued to a second bowl - this time miso. When that was gone as well he sighed and slouched a little. Honoka had finished her bowl when he'd been halfway through his second and had been chatting with Ayame, the both of them occasionally poking fun at him, but he didn't mind. It was good to just relax and decompress, especially with what was coming up in the next few months.

"Thanks for the food, guys," he said, "but we'd better get going." He paused. "And would you happen to know where Naruto would be?"

"Naruto-kun has been going to the blacksmith's recently," Teuchi said.

"Thanks, Teuchi-san!"

Raiden placed a folded bill on the counter next to his empty bowl and hopped off the stool, Honoka coming to walk next to him and they went over to the blacksmith's shop. Raiden hadn't visited the shop other than because of necessity before, not even as Naruto, so it would prove to be an interesting visit.

Which it was. Upon entering the store they were greeted by the guy who ran the shop, which was different. Usually it was who Raiden was assuming was his wife, so seeing him in the shop was new.

"What are you looking for?" The man asked, and Raiden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm actually looking for Satoshi and Naruto; I heard he spends time here." The man's friendly attitude closed down. That was certainly not what Raiden was expecting and it surprised him.

"And what do you want with them?"

"Excuse me, Higurashi-san," Honoka butted in. "It's my first time in the village and Raiden wanted me to meet my cousins properly."

The man still looked wary but less so than before. "I'll tell him you've come, and if he says he knows you I'll let you in the back." He disappeared and Raiden turned towards Honoka, a bit bewildered.

"Looks like Naruto's made some friends, huh?"

"I guess so," she said, even more confused than he was - she didn't know most of his background, due to their different home villages.

"Raiden, Raiden! You're back!" Raiden braced himself and seconds later a brightly-colored blur rammed into him, forcing him to take a step back. "Are you better?"

He couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's unbridled enthusiasm and happiness. "Almost! I'll stay for a couple weeks, so Tsunade can make sure I'm all better."

"Yes!" Naruto yelled. It was at that point he caught sight of Honoka. "Who're you?"

Raiden snickered at the look on Honoka's face. Naruto hadn't meant the question rudely, but he hadn't had too much practice being polite and some things just came out that way.

"Let's wait until Satoshi comes in, then we won't have to repeat introductions."

Thankfully it wasn't very long because Naruto was an impatient kid. Satoshi came out from the back along with the man and a girl about Naruto's age that he recognized as a young Tenten. Thankfully the attention was on Honoka rather than him, because it was something he hadn't expected.

"I'm Honoka," she said. "Honoka Uzumaki, from Kirigakure."

Naruto practically had stars in his eyes. "Wow! Another cousin! I haven't met anyone from Kirigakure before. That's in Mizu no Kuni, right? Are you a ninja? Do you know a lot of water jutsu? Do you like ramen?"

Honoka took a moment to process everything he'd asked and then answered them all in turn, which was impressive because it was something most people had trouble with. "Yes, Kirigakure is the hidden village of Mizu no Kuni. Yes, I am a ninja. And yes, I know a lot of water jutsu. And I do like ramen - in fact, Raiden just made me try Ichiraku's."

"Wasn't it the best ever?" He asked.

"It sure was," she replied, smiling amusedly at Raiden. He shrugged. It would make sense that they were at least somewhat similar - they were technically the same person, after all, though not many people knew that.

"Naruto, say thanks to Higurashi-san for having you over," Satoshi said, sounding like he'd done it before.

"Thanks Higurashi-san!" he parroted, not really paying attention, and Satoshi rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for letting Naruto stay," he said, with real feeling. "It means a lot to him."

"It's my pleasure," Higurashi responded. "He's a good kid."

Good-byes were said and the four of them headed home, stopping at the market along the way to pick up some groceries for breakfast the next day and takeout for Satoshi and Naruto's dinner.

Dinner and after was pretty fun; mostly just Naruto and Satoshi getting to know Honoka and vice-versa. He and Honoka had gotten close on the journey to Ame and then on to Konoha; they'd had lots of time traveling together. Over that time he'd learned she was an avid pranker, just like Naruto - he was simultaneously looking forward to and dreading the day Naruto figured that out because he'd have to keep on guard for anything that might cause embarrassment.

Or he could just not worry about it. It was good for the ego (as in, it was good to prevent untoward ego growth) to be the one on a receiving end of a prank after all. But if it started a prank war…

"…right, Raiden?"

"Huh?"

"Learning history is dumb, right, Raiden?" He almost burst out laughing. Naruto had been telling Honoka and Satoshi about the Academy, and this was apparently the question he'd chosen to ask him to make sure he wasn't spacing out. How ironic.

"It might seem like it," he said slowly, "but history is actually really important. There's a lot of things happening now that have been affected by events from before the village was founded."

A prime example being the whole Madara/Kaguya mess.

"History can be interesting. And even fun, depending on how it's taught," He finished. Naruto looked at him skeptically but agreed anyway. And then tried his hardest to swallow a yawn, which prompted Raiden to look at the time.

"Okay Naruto, some people have to go to the Academy tomorrow - " Complaints arose instantly, but Raiden talked over them. "I'll still be here tomorrow when you come back, so you'd better go. Your education is important."

Naruto pouted but went to bed anyways, skipping brushing his teeth in protest. Raiden sighed but didn't call him out; the kid was seven and was still getting used to being parented, especially when the parent in question was technically young enough to be his brother.

Satoshi headed off to bed as well; he needed to be up early for work. So Raiden showed Honoka to their extra bedroom - there wasn't much, but there was a futon and a couple blankets, which was at least better than a bedroll on the dirt.

"Here's your room for as long as we're here," he said. "Bathroom is the next door over, you can shower if you want. But if you want a bath you have to go to the onsen."

She huffed a laugh. "Shower's fine, but I'll keep that in mind."

"And if you need anything don't hesitate to do whatever or wake one of us up - "

"Raiden, just go to bed already."

"Right, right."

He wandered back to his own room and gathered a towel and fresh clothes - he needed a shower after traveling so long - and headed to the other bathroom, the one closer to him and Naruto. He peeked in Naruto's room as he passed and was amused to see him spread out across the bed, the pillows and blankets strewn everywhere.

He took longer than he normally would in the shower, making sure he got all the travel grime off, and then just took a couple minutes to relax before eventually shutting the water off. He was exhausted and had a long day tomorrow. Time for bed.

* * *

Despite his exhaustion he was only able to sleep until around six the next morning; old habits died hard, he supposed, and waking up early had been a necessity for him for a very long time. It wasn't all bad, though, as it provided a bit of peace and quiet in which he could eat a simple breakfast. He started frying a few more eggs; the others would be up soon and Naruto would, if things went how he remembered, barely be on time for school if he had to wait for his breakfast to be ready.

And sure enough there was a series of loud footsteps as Naruto barreled in, closely followed by Honoka.

"Raiden, you're the best!" He exclaimed, and grabbed a clean plate from the counter and held it out. Raiden flipped two eggs out of the pan and onto the plate, to which Naruto added a bit of ketchup before sitting down and attacking them. That was decidedly odd; Raiden remembered trying eggs with ketchup one time and promptly decided he hated it. Well, now it was official, he guessed. He and Naruto were different people, and the differences would only grow as time passed.

"Can you stick some bread in the toaster?" Raiden asked Honoka. "Eggs are great but this kid has a bottomless pit of a stomach and we only have so many eggs."

"Mmph," Naruto protested, mouth full of egg. Everything just paused for a moment before both he and Honoka burst out laughing, creating and interesting scene for Satoshi to walk in on, which he did with sleepy confusion, making the both of them laugh harder until the toast popped up.

Satoshi sat down at the table and blinked blearily. "Raiden's making breakfast?"

"Guess so," he said, and proceeded to start another round of eggs in the pan. "Naruto, you have a lunch, right?"

"…No?"

"I guess I'm making lunch, too," he sighed. "I'll drop it off later."

The rest of the morning was a bit more hectic as people collected what they needed and rushed out the door - Naruto causing the most chaos - and then he was on his way to the hospital, by himself this time as Honoka had decided to shadow Satoshi.

He checked himself in, taking a moment to flirt good-naturedly the receptionist (who was old enough to be his grandmother) and then headed up to face Tsunade.

"Hey baa-chan," he said with a smile, and quickly dodged the flick to his head.

"Lay down," she said curtly, but she was smiling. "Strip."

He stared at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Leave your pants on," she clarified. "It's easier to heal you with direct access to your skin. And it's nothing I haven't seen before, literally in your case."

And then he recalled that she'd been the one to heal him after his initial collapse and with great mortification removed his sandals, shirt and trousers and laid down on the hospital bed. Best to cooperate; no need to be humiliated further.

"What's the plan, baa-chan?" He asked. "How am I gonna get fixed up this time?"

"When you sealed the sanbi in you your collapsed chakra coil reinflated - but because it had previously been collapsed the elasticity decreased drastically, so it was too much chakra all at once and it tore in several places. So what I have to do it apply sutures to the tears using my own chakra."

Raiden gulped; the amount of control that would take was…it was incomprehensible.

"So please, try to keep still, so I don't accidentally sew your stomach to your liver."

Right. _Right_. "I'd like to keep my organs un-stitched, if that's okay," he responded.

And then came the actual lying-still part. It was probably the most uncomfortable and possibly the most difficult few hours of his life, beating out sage training because his health kind of depended on it. He'd always had a lot of energy and a need to _move_ and this was _not fun_.

And finally it was over.

"Put your clothes back on, kiddo," Tsunade said wearily. "I've sutured the two biggest tears - one near your femoral artery and the other very close to your stomach. Which I took extra care not to stitch to your liver, so feel grateful for that."

"Trust me, I am. Very grateful."

"Be back here Thursday, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, baa-chan!"

"Now go bother someone else for a while! I've got other patients to look after, mister."

Raiden laughed, carefree with the relief of being able to finally move, and headed out of the hospital, throwing a wink at the receptionist as he did. He had about an hour before Naruto's lunch break; he hadn't made food before going to the hospital so he'd have to return to the house and do that.

He was halfway there when an arm slung around his shoulders and a familiar voice welcomed him back.

"Hello, Shisui," he responded. "Nice to see you're okay."

"You too," Shisui said, eyeing him critically. "Where are you going? We have a lot to catch up on."

"That we do."

They conversed lightly the rest of the way to the house but there was an undercurrent of tension that made Raiden uncomfortable. As soon as they'd entered and the door was closed the superficial conversation halted.

"Look, Raiden - I don't know why the Hokage trusts you as much as he does. I don't know why _I_ trust you as much as I do. But I do trust you, and the Hokage asked me to talk to you. He said it might clear up some things."

"The coup that wasn't, right?" Raiden said dryly, opening the fridge. "I read the reports; Hokage-sama gave them to me when I got back."

"Oh," Shisui responded, sounding slightly surprised. "So what does he want you to tell me?"

Raiden chuckled ruefully. He could always trust his friend to figure things out - if Raiden already knew about the not-coup then Shisui would have realized he was the one in the dark. But the question was: how much was he going to share? The Hokage wanted him to say something, and there were really only two things Shisui didn't know about. First: the deal he'd made with Kirigakure. And second: the whole time-traveling thing. Well, there was kind of a third one; Shisui hadn't known about him being a jinchuuriki…

If he explained the deal he'd have awkward questions about _why_ he'd needed a bijuu and that would lead to explanations of the time-traveling. And Shisui had really just gone out on a limb offering to share the details of the not-coup with him. That showed real trust - trust that Raiden returned. And, well, he was an all-or-nothing sort of guy.

"So…what do you know about fuinjutsu?" Raiden asked, thinking of the best way to explain this.

"Not much besides the basics, actually," he said with a frown. "Storage, security seals, things like that."

"Right," Raiden said, starting a batch of rice. "Well, seals can be used to do practically anything you want to. Seals were what allowed the Fourth Hokage to use the Hiraishin jutsu. Seals are what allow jinchuuriki to be created. Both of those are examples of space-time jutsu, which I have a particular knack for."

"Okay," Shisui said, digesting the information. "But why is this relevant?"

"Because fuinjutsu can affect space-time. Most applications affect space but I activated a seal that affected time. It was almost a year ago now - or, from a different perspective, just over a decade into the future."

Shisui's face was carefully blank. "That's not possible."

"You just told me yourself that you don't have a deep understanding of fuinjutsu. I do. You've trusted me so far, so trust me on this. And if you really can't accept it, the Hokage is aware, and he's confirmed my identity with Yamanaka-san from the T&I Department."

There was a lull in the explanations in which Raiden watched Shisui struggle with the information, the faint hiss of steam from the rice cooker tugging at the edge of his hearing. Shisui shook his head as if to clear out confusion. "Just keep explaining."

"Before I, well, time-jumped, I had a different name. One which I can't use here for obvious reasons - "

"You mean your past self is alive now?"

"Yes," Raiden said, waiting a moment to increase the suspense. In a way, he way playing a great prank on everyone in this time. "You know my younger self as Naruto Uzumaki."

Shisui looked astonished. "You mean that hyperactive kid - the one who absolutely despises reading - was _you?_ Who is a sealmaster?"

"Yeah. I smartened up a bit later than sooner, somehow managing to scrape by due to my considerable chakra reserves and ability to empathize."

"That's ridiculous."

"You know I actually agree with you on that one. There was this one time where - "

"Back on track, Raiden," Shisui interrupted him, more than a little impatient.

"Right. So when I came here, the nine-tails I held assimilated into the nine-tails Naruto holds. I'm not sure exactly why, but I believe it is something to do with the bijuus' natures as physical manifestations of chakra, which stays the same. I myself wasn't assimilated into Naruto because we have different chakra signatures - different fundamental identities, so to speak.

"I could continue in this vein for a bit longer but I'll cut it short; chakra theory isn't for everyone. So I lost the nine-tails and it damaged my chakra network - that was when I got ill - and the only thing that would help is if I sealed another bijuu in me. When I left I was actually going to acquire the sanbi - as you can tell, I'm still alive, so a jinchuuriki I am once more, though I paid dearly for it. Long story short I'm now contracted to Kirigakure to find some, ah, relics, I guess you could say, that were lost during the revolution."

The rice cooker let out a _ding_ and Raiden busied himself with finishing preparing Naruto's lunch while Shisui tried to process everything. It was about fifteen minutes later when he'd finished and he had to head out.

"I'm going to the Academy; Naruto forgot lunch again. Do you want to come?"

"Sure, why not, haven't checked up on little Sasu-chan in a while."

Raiden tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh and Shisui looked at him questioningly.

"Sasuke and Naruto are somewhat rivals…as were I and the Sasuke I knew. To hear someone call him such a childish nickname - it's funny, is all."

"…That's weird, Raiden." Shisui's expression was so disturbed that Raiden couldn't help laughing, which caused Shisui to start, and by the time they made it to the Academy they were both laughing so hard they were tearing up. Which, of course, caused mutual consternation to both Naruto and Sasuke when Naruto showed up to get his lunch, Sasuke having come near because he'd caught sight of Shisui. No young boy liked being embarrassed by relatives, not even if said relatives were high-ranking shinobi and therefore 'cool'.

The two of them had their own lunch after that, visiting a restaurant that had opened recently - one Raiden actually remembered from his genin days.

"Okay, level with me - what happened with the Uchiha in your time?" Shisui asked. "Because there's no way the same things happened, not with the Hokage changing his position on the issue after you'd talked with him."

"Right, yeah. So, the main differences are: you died, one of your eyes going to Danzou and the other going to Itachi. And somehow Danzou wasn't found out so instead of what happened here - the elders being interrogated and Danzou being put under house arrest - he managed to coerce Itachi into killing your entire clan - Sasuke excepted. And from what I understand Danzou desecrated their bodies in pursuit of the Sharingan along with Orochimaru."

Shisui paled, veins standing out starkly against his skin. "That's beyond disgusting," he muttered venomously. "To do that to your own village. Making a thirteen-year-old kill his family."

His knuckles were white, and Raiden was worried that Shisui was going to crack the table. "Hey, Shisui. That's why. That's one of the main reasons I came back. So I could prevent this. To expose the rottenness at the root before it infected the rest of the tree."

Some color was starting to return to Shisui's face.

"It might help just to…not think about it," Raiden suggested, but Shisui shook his head.

"Raiden. Danzou…he was my grandfather's teammate, and my grandfather was really one of the only people he really trusted. I've known him since I was a child; he visited us sometimes. So for him to go from who I'd thought he was, to _this_ … It's sick. Because as bad as I thought it was…"

And now Raiden was seeing it in a new light. Danzou had been to Shisui like the Hokage had been for him. If the Old Man had even done half of what Danzou had…

"Let's go beat the snot out of each other," Raiden said, suddenly a lot more angry than he'd been. "Taijutsu only - still recovering - but a good workout. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Shisui answered, voice tight. "Let's go."

Raiden left a few crumpled bills on the table, mentally apologizing to the staff for not paying properly but he'd left extra so hopefully they'd be fine. Besides, he was sure the staff would rather have them beat up on each other somewhere far away than on their tables and chairs.

They went to the closest training ground and found it already occupied by a genin team and their sensei, but they didn't take much space so the two of them moved to the other end and warmed up quickly. They stopped at just about the same time and eyed a fallen leaf. Once it hit the ground the fight began.

* * *

"Woah, that was _amazing!_ "

He and Shisui had just formed the seal of reconciliation, signaling the end of the spar, and both of them were still out of breath so Raiden just shot a look at the kid who'd come up to them. One of the three genin from earlier, as the other two and their teacher were approaching them.

"Sorry about my genin," their teacher said, something in her voice putting him on edge. It wasn't anything overt, and she wasn't really suspicious, but there was just something about her. "It's just - they don't often get to see spars like that from higher-level ninja, and to have one here - and from Uchiha-san no less…"

He and Shisui looked at each other in mutual horror. _Fangirl._

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Raiden and I just went for a spar and this training field happened to have room," Shisui said, a polite smile plastered on his face. "It was nice meeting you and your genin, but we have to go now; prior arrangements and all that."

"Of course, of course," the jonin-sensei said, and Shisui smiled once more before using his signature shunshin to escape. Raiden wasn't so lucky; it would still be about a week until he'd be able to use chakra again. So bowed awkwardly and fist-bumped the genin before jogging off.

Shisui reappeared once Raiden had made it out of sight of the training ground.

"Sorry about that, I forgot about the no-chakra for a minute."

"Yeah, thanks for that. Still, I've never seen a fangirl so well handled; she didn't even try to chase after us - what's your method?"

"Truthfully - just be polite but completely disinterested. Actually talking to them makes them pretty star-struck and they're too in shock to do much. Then quickly excuse yourself. Works almost every time."

"Almost?" Raiden asked, sensing a good story. But Shisui was rather reluctant to say anymore on the subject, so Raiden let it go - for the time being, at least. "I've got to get back - I promised to teach Naruto a new jutsu - any ideas?"

Shisui frowned. "I'm still getting used to that. As for the jutsu, though - why not shunshin?"

"…huh. You know, that's actually a good idea. Give him an escape route in case of emergencies, yet nothing he can cause too much havoc with. And it'll keep him mostly occupied for a few days."

"And if he complains," Shisui added, "I'll tell him it's a major part of my fighting strategy and then he'll be fine with it."

"Of course." He snapped off a quick salute and Shisui shunshined off again to who-knows where and Raiden headed back to the house. It was time for Naruto to learn a new jutsu.

* * *

The next couple of days passed in the same vein; healing most of the morning and doing whatever he could think of in the afternoon. Sparring, grocery shopping, visiting Satoshi, going to the library, things like that in an attempt to be patient until he could use his chakra again.

And after four more days of his routine he was given the all-clear, with a reminder to "take it easy" for the first couple of days. He would, too; the consequences of not doing so were rather painful and he'd like to not go through that again if he could help it. So went home, sat went to the roof, and sat down to meditate.

He went through his chakra network, flaring it a bit to assess the state of it. He could feel Isobu's chakra gathered at the places where his chakra coils had ripped, sealing them closed and dissolving the sutures slowly - similar to how a physical wound would be healed. He reached out to the nature chakra, then, and relished at the feeling of once more being connected to and aware of everything around him.

A soft breeze blew, ruffling his hair. He could feel the sun on his face. Birds were chirping, and the air smelled fresh and clean like growing things; winter was coming to an end and there were things he needed to do. But for now - he would appreciate the few moments of peace that he got.

* * *

 **AN: Clarification on what happened with the Uchiha if anyone is still confused:**

 **Original events: Uchiha were planning a coup. Shisui and Itachi were spies for Danzou/Hokage. Danzou attacked Shisui and stole an eye. Shisui visited Itachi and gave him other eye before falling into the river. Danzou ordered Itachi to kill the rest of the Uchiha. Itachi was to act as a spy on the Akatsuki.**

 **This timeline's events: Raiden put suspicion on Danzou (therefore keeping him away from Shisui) and alerted the Hokage to the possibility of a Massacre. The Hokage took steps to prevent the Massacre but wasn't completely successful; there were still a handful of elders and more aggressive members that decided to go through with it anyway. Those people were caught and interrogated and implicated Danzou, who was put under arrest.**

 **On another note, I think I'll start adding in more sections with other people's points of view. If there are any POV you really want to see tell me in a review.**


	11. Chapter 11: Konoha Interlude II

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"So what do you know about chakra, Naruto?" Raiden asked. It was one of the afternoons he'd set aside to spend time with him and since Tsunade had given him the all-clear for minor chakra use he'd decided to kill two birds with one kunai and teach Naruto the first chakra control exercise: tree-climbing.

"Uh…catra is the stuff you use to do jutsu, right?"

Raiden had forgotten just quite how appallingly terrible the quality of his education had been in the Academy.

"It's _chakra_ , Naruto," Honoka corrected. "And yes, it's the energy we use to perform jutsu. Do you know where chakra comes from?"

"Not really. But who cares anyway?" Naruto shifted, looking bored.

"Just keep listening, it'll make sense in a minute. Chakra comes from us, when we mix spiritual energy with physical energy. Some jutsu take different amounts of each so we need to learn how to balance them and control how much chakra we put into our jutsu."

"Okay." Naruto looked less than impressed, and Raiden figured it was time for a demonstration.

"When you learn to control your chakra you can do things like this." He walked towards a tree slowly, Naruto's eyes following him.

"You're just walking, I can do that - " Naruto stopped abruptly as he reached the tree and started to walk up, hands still in his pockets. "Wow! That's so cool! Can you teach me that?"

A surge of chakra unbalanced him and he pushed off the tree, flipping in the air to land off his feet. "Too much chakra pushes you off, and too little means you don't stick," he explained. "So you have to learn how to get the right amount, because it means you waste a lot less chakra."

Not that Naruto would have much of a problem with that anyway, his natural Uzumaki reserves and the addition of Kurama's chakra would make that sort of a non-issue. But some jutsu completely failed when overloaded, and that was something Naruto needed to be able to handle: case in point being the required Academy jutsu.

Not to mention that walking on trees wasn't something a lot of his classmates could do yet; learning it early would give Naruto a nice confidence boost.

"Awesome!" Naruto bolted at a tree and fell immediately, landing with a thud on the ground. He stood gingerly and Raiden winced in sympathy.

"Naruto - you have to channel your chakra, first," Raiden reminded him.

"Right!" Naruto said determinedly, and got into a stance, feet wide apart for balance. He hunched over slightly, fingers forming a ram seal, and chakra flared up around him.

"Maybe a little less than that, buddy," Raiden said. The chakra flare dampened until it was no longer visible, though Raiden thought it was still probably a little much. And sure enough, Naruto was blown off the tree - though he'd managed to make it several feet up.

Naruto beamed at him when he saw the spot where he'd blown the bark off. Right; he'd need something to mark his progress, and so he handed Naruto a kunai.

"Be careful with that," he warned. "Use it to mark your progress. It'll take a while before you can make it to the top, but if you just keep practicing you'll be able to get there in a few days."

Raiden had managed it in less, but he'd been twelve and Naruto was still only six. By no means was a few days slow, though, and Raiden knew Naruto was a stubborn little idiot when he wanted to be. Still was, to be honest.

And so he started practicing, too. His chakra had been completely wild after the re-sealing, and now that he was finally healed, properly this time, he needed to get it back under control. He picked a tree near Naruto, pulled out another kunai, and went for it.

* * *

Dusk found them both dirty, exhausted, hungry, and hurting. And a bit annoyed, as well: neither of them had managed to make it even halfway to the top of the tree, though Raiden was close. Naruto had managed to get about a quarter of the way but had reached some sort of plateau or block. Whatever it was, they'd have to take a break and try again the next day.

"So what did you think, Naruto?" Raiden asked, as they leaned against their respective trees, catching their breath.

"It's really hard. But I'm gonna get it, just you wait!"

With a groan, Raiden lifted himself to his feet. He went over in front of Naruto and held out a hand to help him up but as soon as Naruto tried to take a step he wobbled and Raiden had to catch him.

"Nice try, kiddo, but I think in a fight between you and the ground the ground would win."

Naruto laughed and Raiden somehow managed to maneuver him onto his back, with Naruto's head resting on his right shoulder and his arms draped loosely around his neck.

"I'm glad you came," Naruto said, voice partially muffled by the fact he was speaking into Raiden's shoulder. "You 'n' Satoshi. I've never been happy till you came."

After his comment, Naruto buried his face into Raiden's neck and refused to speak. Raiden said nothing; he didn't trust his voice. A few minutes later - they weren't even halfway home yet - Naruto's breathing deepened and evened out; he'd managed to fall asleep.

And it was amazing. Naruto had been incredibly brave in saying that; he'd never really trusted adults before and the fact that he trusted Raiden so much as to share something so personal was nothing short of amazing. This brave boy, a child full of hope - Raiden wouldn't allow what had happened to him happen again. And on Raiden's part: it was a confirmation that he'd succeeded, at least somewhat, in helping the little bit of family he had. And it gave him the inspiration - the hope - that he needed to continue on and to stay on the path he'd started.

His internal musings were cut short as he found himself face-to-face with his front door and were replaced with contemplations on how to actually enter his house. Both his arms were occupied with sleeping boy and he'd prefer not to wake him up; the kid needed his rest. And he wasn't quite up to shadow clones yet; he'd used a lot of chakra and shadow clones would strain his still-fragile system.

And then the door opened, Satoshi stopping short in the doorway and, after a moment of them staring at each other wide-eyed, he sighed.

"I was just going out to look for you," he complained quietly. "Honoka came home a while ago, you didn't, it made me worry."

"Sorry," Raiden said quietly. "We were training. Went later than I thought, and then Naruto fell asleep on the way home."

"Raiden, you can't be teaching him bad habits, especially not at this age. And I don't care what you think, or about any special circumstances, training until you drop isn't healthy!"

Well, that was honestly something he could say he hadn't thought about.

"Err…sorry? I'm just - not used to this, is all…" He trailed off as Satoshi directed a flat stare towards him. "How about we just get him in bed?"

"Okay, go do that," Satoshi said decisively. "But then we should talk."

Raiden went upstairs, meeting Honoka, who helped him detangle himself from Naruto and lay him down on his bed. She pulled his blanket up over his shoulders and grimaced at the dirt and Raiden shrugged. Naruto's bedding would be included in the massive pile of laundry he'd be doing tomorrow; it wasn't particularly pleasant to sleep when there were grass stains and dirt everywhere.

Honoka went back into the room she was using and he headed back downstairs, gratefully accepted a plate of food from Satoshi, who then sat down next to him looking unusually serious.

"Look, Raiden," he said, not without hesitation. "I just - there's some things I've noticed. And, um, I think it's important, so I'm just going to say it, okay?"

Raiden nodded, mouth full of food. He swallowed. "Okay. Sure. Go ahead."

Satoshi's expression hardened a little, the same face he wore when he was focusing intently on something. "Naruto. He's seven."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"There's something wrong with this village. Everyone's behavior towards him - I've not seen anyone treat him like a normal seven-year-old. Not even you, Raiden. And while you're completely different than the others, there's still - "

Satoshi made a displeased noise, and cracked his knuckles, something he did when either stressed or confused or really excited. At this point, Raiden suspected it was a mixture of the first two.

"I don't like being rude, or bossy, or _whatever_ ," he continued. "But I want to clarify something. Naruto is _seven. Years. Old._ It's all good to teach him new techniques - that's great! But the way to do it is not to keep him out training all day, until he exhausts himself! He didn't eat dinner and while that might not seem like a terrible thing, especially after what he's already been through, it sets a precedent and that's _not good_. And if he thinks that doing things like that is how to get your attention and praise then he's going to _keep_ doing it because he thinks the world of you, of us. And I don't want him to burn out, because now I think the world of him, too, just as I know you do."

Food forgotten, Raiden listened in mild shock as Satoshi - easy-going, thoughtful, non-confrontational, Satoshi - chewed him out. And, perhaps even more surprising, Raiden found himself listening to him. Because he could say, with complete honesty, that nothing like this had ever happened before. In his past, he'd either been stupidly lucky - still was - and powerful enough that his schemes worked out - mostly - for the better. The thing was - he hadn't ever had anyone to really rely on. And he didn't have anyone relying on him, either, not like this.

"…So, what I'm really trying to say is - Naruto's special. He's a good kid, but what he's lacking is normality, and as we aren't really a normal family it's already hard to give him that, so we have to do better."

Satoshi got up and left the kitchen, leaving Raiden alone with a half-finished dinner and a mind full of thoughts. One of which he was able to take care of quickly, but the other required more digesting.

Despite his exhaustion, what Satoshi had said kept him up another hour, at least. What came to mind, at first, was the warning Itachi had given him at the very beginning of the War:

" _You once said it was everyone who cares about you who helped you get where you are now. If you forget others because you have power, and become arrogant and egotistical, you'll eventually become just like Madara. No matter how powerful you become, do not try to shoulder everything alone."_

No matter what he'd thought before, he knew subconsciously that he still thought of the people who cared for him as being lost. And it was true; he had lost many of the people who cared about him. But he'd also gained new ones. And he had a responsibility to them. To take care of them, if they couldn't, and to take better care of himself.

After all, wasn't that what he had used the jutsu for? To come back in time, to help his family, and build it back up? He'd made progress, sure, but he was positive there were other Uzumaki out there. And there was no way he was going to abandon them. Even if they'd made a life for themselves, he wanted to find them, and to let them know they weren't alone.

And he couldn't do that as he was, fumbling his way through and reacting. He needed at least a skeleton of a plan. He needed a strategy. There was probably a way to find other members of the clan through seals, though, and with his knowledge - but first things first. He had to collect the rest of the missing swords for Kiri, and that would only start after he was sufficiently recovered, which would take time.

For now - he only really had two goals to focus on. First: get better. Second: get to know Naruto. It was odd to think about, but it was valid nonetheless - a year ago Naruto would have been exactly the same as he'd been at six years old. Now, however - nearly a year had passed since they'd met and things had changed. Naruto wasn't the same kid he'd been, though they still had much in common. Even the slightest change could be meaningful, and from now on he'd try his best to respect that.

As he pursued this line of thought his mind grew quieter, until he was able to finally fall asleep.

Waking up was considerably less pleasant.

"Oof!" He groaned and curled into the fetal position, still in his bed. "Naruto….please be more careful where you jump next time…"

"Ohmygosh sorry Raiden Ididn'tthink - "

"It's okay," he said, voice still a little higher than usual. He sat up and rested his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. "Just try for a little higher if you do that again, I'd much rather have a broken rib."

Naruto let a small laugh escape, now that it turned out he would be fine.

"Are we gonna practice again today? 'Cause it was really tough but kinda fun and I'm not tired anymore and I don't hurt anymore either 'cause I got lotsa sleep and.."

Raiden tuned him out and turned to Satoshi, who was leaning in the doorway, a smirk on his face. Honoka was behind him, looking curious at the commotion.

"What did he have for breakfast?" Raiden asked suspiciously, shooting Satoshi a dirty look.

"It had sugar in it," he replied, and Raiden fell back onto his bed. Honoka started laughing, and Naruto leaned over him, their faces almost touching.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. Raiden closed his eyes.

"Absolutely."

Thankfully, the sugar wore off in a couple hours and Naruto was back to his usual hyperactive self. And as it was Sunday, there wasn't any school, so Honoka went ahead with him to the training grounds again and allowed him to burn off his sugar high with training while Raiden did laundry, joining them after he'd finished.

They practiced until lunch, at which point they called it done for the day, at least for chakra control. Naruto still had homework, and Raiden didn't want to strain himself too much, especially after the day before.

And after lunch they moved on to Naruto's homework, which presented its own slew of problems, mostly relating to the lack of knowledge Naruto had regarding certain things as well as the homework he was given and what and how he was being taught. In other words, the teachers at the Academy were sabotaging him. Raiden knew, of course, that most of the teachers hadn't liked him, and he remembered that Iruka had replaced the original teacher, but he hadn't realized the reason why.

And to think Naruto had been through half a year of it already.

He felt his rage grow but didn't do anything about it - at least until Honoka started to back away from him and Naruto leaned forward curiously and pointed out the bright green chakra starting to bubble up from his skin. He took a deep breath and forced it back; he hadn't lost control like that in a while and that was yet another thing he'd have to work on.

"Sorry about that." He stood. "Naruto, do you have any more homework, or class notes the teacher's given you?"

Naruto nodded and went to get them, returning a minute later with a sheaf of papers in hand. Raiden took them gently.

"I'm going to go have a talk with the Hokage, I'll be back soon." He smiled painfully and left, paper in hand.

He'd locked down Isobu's chakra tight, but his own was a different story - he was angry enough that the only thing keeping him in check was that he was surrounded by civilians and because he was on his way to actually do something about the problem. However, his control over his own chakra was still a bit iffy and he was leaking killing intent like a sieve.

Which wasn't helpful, really, as the ANBU making up the Hokage's guard stopped him at the door.

"State your business, Ame shinobi," one ordered, and Raiden actually growled at him because he was just so _done_ with people being idiots. He channeled some chakra to his finger and poked the both of them in the forehead before they could react, paralyzing them. He pushed through into the Hokage's office and the Old Man took one look at his furious face before clearing the others shinobi out of the room - it looked like a genin team delivering a mission report.

As soon as the four had left Raiden slapped the papers down on the Hokage's desk. "Take a look at this, Old Man."

He immediately did so and a few impatient minutes passed before a heavy presence seemed to settle over the room, inching its way into every corner. It took a moment before Raiden realized it was the old man in front of him, arguably just as angry about the sabotage as Raiden himself had been.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Raiden."

He stood and strode strongly out of the room, Raiden close behind. He released the seals on the two ANBU apologetically as they passed. Their next stop was the Academy and what a stop it was. The Hokage had once been called "The God of Shinobi" and for once Raiden got a glimpse into why.

The four of them - the two ANBU had accompanied them - walked into a teacher's meeting, completely disrupting it. And then the Old Man spoke.

"Who here is the teacher of Uzumaki Naruto?"

One man stepped forward, or rather the other teachers stepped back, leaving the man to face the Hokage's wrath.

"You are fired. And arrested, on counts of treason, deliberate sabotage of education, and attempted murder of a student."

And of course, given the question asked upon their entrance, there was no doubt as to which student the Hokage was referring. The man's color receded, leaving his skin blotchy where it wasn't pale. The Hokage made a hand signal and one of the ANBU shunshined him away.

"I trust this behavior will not continue," the Hokage stated, leveling a flat gaze at the other teachers, meeting their eyes one by one.

And with that he swept out of the room, leaving a dozen stunned chunin and jonin in his wake.

As they were walking back to the office, both tempers cooler than they had been, the Old Man sighed.

"I prefer to use the 'rule with kindness' philosophy, but sometimes it's just not possible."

Raiden shook his head.

"That was _brilliant_. Seriously, that was a balm to my soul. And probably all the civvies, as well; I think I've stopped leaking KI."

The Old Man chuckled. "Do you mind if I accompany you to your home, Raiden? I think Naruto ought to hear about this."

"Not at all, Old Man," Raiden said. "I think he'd welcome a visit."

They headed to the Uzumaki house, losing the ANBU along the way, and entered in more cheerful spirits - though still with the incident in the back of their minds - and were met with the sight of Honoka quizzing Naruto on geography.

"So - the capital of Mizu no Kuni is?"

"Kiri."

"Kaze no Kuni?"

"Suna."

"Tsuchi?"

"Uhh…Iwa!"

"Kaminari no Kuni?"

"Kumo."

"And finally, Hi no Kuni?"

"Konoha!"

The last answer was exclaimed triumphantly, and the Old Man's laughter rumbled softly out, startling the two. Naruto jumped towards the Old Man while Honoka stood politely.

"Hey Gramps! Haven't seen you in a while! Raiden said he was gonna go talk to you 'cause he seemed pretty mad about something."

"I regret that I haven't been able to spend more time with you, Naruto," he said, settling himself in one of the unoccupied chairs. "But yes, Raiden was upset, and so was I when he talked to me about it. Tell me, Naruto, how have your teachers been in the Academy?"

The enthusiasm present in the room waned noticeably, mostly because Naruto sat down, quite still. More than a little strange; even a morning of training wasn't enough to burn through the kid's energy and the reaction meant it was serious.

"They try to help me. I'm just not really smart," Naruto said in a small voice. "I hafta work harder."

The temperature in the room went down about ten degrees, and there was suddenly a pressure that hadn't been there before.

"That's a lie."

Surprised, Raiden turned towards Honoka, who was the one who'd spoken. She'd been just as affected as everyone else, though she hadn't known Naruto very long; he had that sort of effect on anyone who took the time to get to know him. And as for the boy in question - he was looking up at her, a fragile hope in his eyes.

She explained further. "I've spent the last half-hour with Naruto and I can say he has at the very least average intelligence. I'd suspect he's above average, actually, he's just behind in learning."

"I understand," the Old Man said gravely. "And that's why Naruto will, for the time being, be withdrawn from the Academy."

Immediately, Raiden saw that the benefits of the arrangement. The Academy would suffice for most students, but Naruto had always been a special case and having a more tailored curriculum for the next few years would improve his knowledge base enough for him to be on par with his peers when it was time for the Academy graduation test. In addition to that, anyone who took up the position of his tutor would undoubtedly be thoroughly vetted by the Hokage, meaning he would have more adults that would he could actually trust.

"You mean - I'm not gonna be a ninja?" Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that Naruto was, at the moment, still only seven, and had yet to receive the "look underneath" lesson. He'd obviously not understood the full implication of the Hokage's statement and was beginning to tear up.

"Of course you will be, Naruto-kun," the Old Man said. "Your Will of Fire burns strong. What I mean to say is that you will be taught separately - by someone who will stoke that flame and not attempt to snuff it out."

"So - you mean I'll get a teacher just for me? And they'll like me?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go inform said teacher of his new assignment."

Naruto proceeded to hug the Old Man tightly and thank him with a few more tears but Raiden couldn't blame him because he'd wished for something like that to happen his entire childhood. He left shortly after, leaving them all a bit at a loss of what to do with themselves.

Satoshi arrived soon after that and they fell back into the routine for dinner, and after that, bed. Tomorrow would be interesting.

* * *

He was, once again, woken by a hyperactive seven-year-old, though as opposed to the previous morning it was significantly less painful, and he was able to flop on top of Naruto, who squirmed and tried to get out from being pinned. And of course, he pretended to fall back asleep - at least until the little imp _bit_ him.

"Ouch! Come on, kiddo, no biting! That's fighting dirty!"

"Shinobi always fight dirty!" Naruto protested loudly, and Raiden laughed and let him up. Naruto had a point, and he couldn't very well get him in trouble for learning something useful.

"What should we do today?" Raiden asked, joining Naruto in the kitchen. Satoshi had already left for work, he guessed, and Honoka preferred to train early in the mornings so he figured they'd both had breakfast already and it would be just the two of them until Honoka came back in another - he glanced at the clock - half-hour or so.

"Breakfast first," stated Naruto decisively. "And then can we do chakra control again? I'm almost at the top."

Surprisingly, Naruto was almost there. Raiden had managed it the day before, so he'd be starting the water-walking exercise on the pond near the trees they'd been at. But breakfast first - he took the cereal down from the cupboard and set it on the table, along with a couple of bowls, and got the milk out from the fridge. Naruto got the spoons out of the drawer and handed one to Raiden while keeping one for himself.

"Sounds like a plan. And then lunch - we'll go out to eat, take Satoshi with us."

"Yeah! His break is at noon, and it's a whole hour cause eating too soon after working hard is bad for your stomach is what he said."

"Okay. So after lunch we should work on school stuff. Not homework, but we should find something you're interested in and you can learn about that. And it will be after lunch, so you have a while to come up with something. And it can be anything, really, so don't worry about it."

Naruto put on a serious face but his mouth was full of cereal so it was more amusing than anything else. Fifteen minutes later he was chivvying Naruto upstairs to brush his teeth and get changed - no sense in showering yet, considering what they were going to be doing all morning - and they headed out to the training ground, Honoka appearing there soon after.

Raiden let her take over this part of Naruto's training - he would have rather spent time with the both of them but circumstances necessitated as speedy a recovery as possible, and that meant getting himself fighting fit as soon as possible, which, in turn, meant he did advanced exercises that Naruto couldn't yet do.

The morning passed quickly. Naruto crowed victoriously when he finally succeeded in making it to the top of the tree, and then joined Raiden in water-walking after Honoka explained the basics. It was pretty entertaining, after that, at least for Honoka, he imagined - the best he could do was to stagger around almost drunkenly and Naruto would fall in every third step.

It was nice to spend lunch together, too, the four of them, and problems with the civilians' treatment towards Naruto were minimal, and quickly corrected by one of the three older Uzumaki.

It was after lunch that things really got interesting.

It started with an innocent conversation - Naruto had decided he wanted to learn about the Hokage, as his budding dream was growing in strength each day.

"So the first and second Hokage were both from the Senju clan," Raiden explained. "There's only one member left alive now, but right now she's a bit lost."

"Lost?" Naruto inquired innocently. "We should find her a map, then."

Raiden decided it was probably better not to correct him, at least not yet. "The third Hokage you know - it's the Old Man. He was actually the student of the First and Second. And he has a couple cool nicknames - he's 'The Professor' because he knows a lot of jutsu, and he used to be called 'The God of Shinobi' because he was so strong."

Naruto's eyes were wide in what could really only be labeled hero-worship; Raiden remembered going through that stage.

"And what about the Fourth?"

"Ah, the Fourth Hokage. He was really special, Naruto, don't forget that. You know, he looked a lot like you. Same color hair and eyes. But he a lot calmer, y'know." Naruto looked enraptured. "His name was Minato Namikaze, and he was famous for his fuinjutsu - his space-time techniques especially. One of his signature moves, the Hiraishin, was one such jutsu. It was so powerful, it got him a flee-on-sight order in the Iwa bingo books. Pretty impressive, huh? And he was so strong he even managed to defeat the nine-tailed fox before he died.

"He was, and forever will be, one of my heroes."

* * *

It was, so far, a fairly boring day. He'd trained. And then had lunch. Had visited Rin, and Obito, and Minato-sensei and Kushina. No mission, he'd returned from an A-Rank a couple days ago and it was time to decompress.

And then…he was walking home, taking a different route than usual because he did that sometimes. And this time a person got his attention. It was a guy probably a little younger than him, and a bit smaller. That wasn't what caught his attention, oh no. It was his bright red hair, and his way of walking, and the way he was leaking KI, which felt vaguely familiar.

It reminded him, in all respects, of Kushina when she got mad and he found himself truly curious about something for the first time in a while.

He tried to distract himself; the guy obviously wasn't a Konoha nin so it was none of his business. But it was easier said than done, and when the Hokage summoned him later that evening he showed up within minutes.

"You're getting assigned a long-term S-Rank mission, Kakashi," the Hokage said without preamble. "It starts at the beginning of next week."

He was standing by the window, looking out on his predecessors' - and successor's - faces illuminated by the fading sun. Kakashi didn't know what it could be besides a deep-cover mission; there weren't really any other missions that could qualify. There was the odd fact of it starting so soon after being informed, though…he turned towards the Hokage, expecting more information. Except the old man seemed content to just stand and smoke his pipe - he wasn't really being forthcoming and Kakashi's curiosity was growing. His patience lasted until the faces were nearly half in shadow, and then he broke.

"So what is this mission, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage finally turned around, pipe in hand and a faint smile on his face. Kakashi got a sudden sense of foreboding.

"I want you to teach Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

 **AN: Fortunately, I seem to have finally gotten into a rhythm of writing, with character development and pacing and all that. Unfortunately, I seem to have gotten into a rhythm of writing at probably the least important part of the story, plot-wise.**

 **I wanted to have a brief stop in Konoha for recuperation and regaining control but geez Naruto, why don't you go and steal the show? And thank you Satoshi for pointing out the kid deserved a childhood (Raiden's aim was just to make things a bit better but he never knew what a normal childhood was like).**

 **And then Kakashi snuck himself in? He's sneaky like that.**

 **Seriously I wasn't expecting this chapter to go the way it did, like** _ **at all**_ **. Hope you liked it anyway. Things should start picking up in the next chapter.**

 **Also, funny story - I went to the zoo and they had actual tanuki? I didn't know those were real...I feel kinda embarrassed that I didn't know that.**


	12. Chapter 12: New Task

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"You're leaving at the end of the week." The Old Man had a habit of asking questions in the form of statements, expecting them to be answered all the same.

"That's right. I have just over a month to complete the first requirement of my mission," Raiden answered. "And I'd prefer not to get put in Kiri's bingo books, if at all possible.

"Of course," the Old Man mused. "And that's why Naruto's teacher will spend the day with you tomorrow - it will get them used to each other and he will be able to assess where Naruto is in his learning."

Raiden had noticed that the Old Man very specifically wasn't telling him who Naruto's tutor would be, but based on past experience it was probably Ebisu - Konohamaru was only two and thus still too young to be tutored. And despite the general distaste he'd felt for the man when he was younger, at least he'd never been cruel to him because of the nine-tails.

"That sounds all right. When should I expect him?"

"I would say around eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

And knowing Ebisu, the man would show up at seven-fifty - but that was the time Naruto would have had to leave for the Academy anyway, so it really wasn't a big deal.

"Thanks for the info. I should probably go now - Naruto's a right terror when it comes to bath time."

* * *

That had been the previous night and it was now Monday morning, the clock inching towards eight. They'd just finished breakfast and were cleaning up. Or rather, Raiden and Honoka were cleaning up; Naruto was too busy fidgeting nervously to do much - decided by Honoka after a plate he'd dropped shattered everywhere. He was currently sitting upside-down on the couch, bouncing his feet restlessly in the air.

"Why can't you just be my teacher, Raiden?" Naruto asked.

"The Mizukage allowed him a great privilege, so if he doesn't fulfill his end of the bargain the Mizukage will put a hit on him, which could result in Raiden's capture and possible death," Honoka pointed out blandly.

"You could take me with you," Naruto suggested hopefully.

"We'd be using chakra to travel faster and you don't know how to do that yet."

"I could learn!" He protested, in a last-ditch effort to escape.

"Not quickly enough," Raiden pointed out. "And there's a high chance we'll be facing at least B-rank nukenin, possible A or even S-rank. I won't put you in danger like that."

The doorbell rang - three past eight, odd - interrupting the back-and-forth. Naruto tried to burrow into the couch as Raiden rolled his eyes and Honoka went to answer the door, Raiden a bit behind her. When she did so, the friendly welcome Raiden was about to offer died on his lips - though Honoka still managed one - and he started laughing.

Because it wasn't Ebisu, like he'd thought. It was _Kakashi_ , whose single visible eye was wide with shock.

* * *

He didn't exactly know what he was expecting but he did know it wasn't this. First of all - the address had led him to a decent-sized house near the edge of the residential district, one bigger than could be reasonably expected for a young boy with a caretaker.

He knocked on the door. And then it opened to show a woman who looked remarkably similar to Kushina - so much so that he couldn't stop his involuntary show of surprise.

And further behind her was a red-haired man, bent over and laughing hysterically as the woman invited him in. He entered, of course, introducing himself politely to the woman in the process.

The young man's laughter was beginning to subside and he straightened up, allowing Kakashi a proper look at his face. It was the guy from two days ago - the one whose KI felt like Kushina's.

"Raiden Uzumaki," he said, mirth still coloring his voice. "Pleasure to meet you, Kakashi Hatake. Welcome to the Uzumaki residence, in which ramen reigns supreme and anything is possible."

"Like, perhaps, the revival of a clan which had previously been thought to be extinct?" Kakashi asked dryly, ignoring the ramen comment. The man's introduction had, at least, partially answered some of the questions he'd thought of over the weekend.

"Exactly!" Raiden crowed. "And also very anxious little boys - "

"I'm not little!" Came an indignant shout from the other room. "And I'm not anxious, neither!"

"Is that my student-to-be?" Kakashi asked, curious despite himself. He'd seen Naruto around, of course, but had never actually interacted with him for various reasons which at the moment seemed rather frail.

Raiden nodded and they moved into the living room where Naruto had, out of obstinacy, remained in his upside-down position, staring stubbornly at the opposite wall with his chin pointing up at the ceiling.

Casually, his hands still in his pockets, Kakashi walked up the wall across from Naruto and onto the ceiling, just as upside-down as Naruto was.

"Hello," he said neutrally. "I'm your new sensei. Kakashi Hatake."

Naruto threw a pillow at him.

* * *

Honoka was watching the Hatake carefully. She'd read about him in the bingo book—a high A-rank threat. There were horror stories, too—the massacre of almost 20 hunter-nin that had happened when she was still a kid, attributed to the man standing in front of her. He had an insane kill list—and she was willing to bet that it was just a fraction of the missions he'd completed, as it was an open secret that he'd been a part of the Konoha ANBU for years. That hair was a pretty obvious giveaway.

When she'd opened the door she'd nearly frozen—but so had he. His one visible eye had widened slightly, why she didn't know but he'd definitely been surprised by something about her. His attention was soon taken by Raiden's hysterical laughter (she didn't know what was going on in his head most of the time, honestly) and he muttered a polite introduction that he returned.

His way of handling Naruto was interesting. Usually, when Naruto got into a mood, it was difficult at best to bring him out of it, and he could pull some really irritating stunts. But when the pillow hit him, Kakashi released his chakra and dropped to the floor—landing feet-first, of course—so he could pick up the pillow. And throw it back. Naruto's laughter at nailing his to-be instructor was cut off when he got a mouthful of pillow and the look on his face was priceless; Honoka found herself placing a hand over her mouth to cover a smile.

The movement caught Hatake's attention, though, and he raised an eyebrow at her, as if amused.

"Oi! Why'd you do that?" Naruto yelled, and Hatake turned back towards Naruto.

"You threw it at me first," he said, as if it were a perfectly logical reason. It stumped Naruto, who frowned. "And I didn't even throw it very hard."

Raiden sidled up to her as Hatake and Naruto continued their childish argument. He was grinning quietly.

"Not what you expected from a S-rank ninja, huh?" He asked.

"He's A-rank," she corrected. Sometimes she wondered…Raiden's knowledge was really all over the place.

"Right, right," he said. "But the point stands, right?"

"Well - yes, actually. He's…he'd kind of odd," she concluded. Except the adjectives she was thinking were a bit more positive than 'odd'. He seemed really laid-back, with his relaxed posture and a loosely-worn uniform. And the way he was handling Naruto was pretty amazing—he'd played along, making Naruto feel comfortable, and they were currently sitting on the floor facing each other. If she didn't know better she'd say he was one of those Eternal Chunin.

"He's pretty childish sometimes," Raiden said.

"Like you?" She asked, unable to help herself. Raiden sulked.

"Ha, ha, funny. Despite all that, he's an incredible shinobi."

* * *

Honoka remained rather aloof to the Konoha shinobi throughout the morning and into the afternoon, where they stopped for lunch at the ramen stand. The four of them were greeted happily, an especially enthusiastic greeting reserved for the newest member of their group.

"Ah, Hatake-kun! We haven't seen you in a while, how are you?"

"Maa, I've been doing okay, you know me."

Ichiraku-san just chuckled and shook his head.

"Ah, Sensei, you like Ichiraku Ramen too?" Naruto piped up, words slightly muffled by the noodles hanging out of his mouth. He'd been served first; there were privileges to being the most frequent customer.

"Naruto, please swallow before talking," she reminded him, and he gave her a sheepish grin that made her sigh and ruffle his hair. "It's good manners, mister."

"To answer your question, Naruto," Kakashi said after a moment, "I used to come here with my team; my sensei and his wife swore it was the best ramen in the Elemental Nations. I still come here occasionally."

She noticed he didn't mention his team in his trips to the ramen stand. And with the war's end only less than a decade prior, she had a good guess as to what had happened.

"But now I'll go with you, Baka-sensei." Naruto had formulated the nickname shortly after the pillow incident and unfortunately for Hatake-san, it had stuck. "You don't hafta be 'lone anymore."

"I - thank you, Naruto," Hatake said, and for whatever reason suddenly pointed out to the street. "Hey! What's that?"

Naruto's head whipped around and she looked as well. There wasn't anything there: only a couple of civilians and the buildings across the street. She looked back, frowning, only to be surprised by Hatake looking rather smug, a completely empty bowl in front of him.

"How…?" she breathed, at a complete loss. He'd not taken a single bite from his ramen—she assumed it was because he didn't want to reveal his face to a foreign ninja, but he'd distracted her for less than five seconds, and that was apparently enough time for him to eat an _entire_ bowl of ramen. That speed was _insane_.

"Ah, you know, I wouldn't be a jonin if I didn't have some skill." He said it as if he were just being modest and there really wasn't any way to respond intelligently to that so she chose to go back to her ramen instead and let Naruto grump at him while Raiden laughed.

* * *

As much as Raiden would have liked to stay with Naruto, Kakashi, and Honoka (one of his reasons being he very much enjoyed seeing Honoka and Kakashi interact, though it was a little weird), he had to prepare for his upcoming mission. Mornings were dedicated to physical training, afternoons with learning techniques and trying to reconstruct old ones. Such as how to tattoo seals onto his body. It would be much more convenient if he was able to carry around objects with him without having to wear his belt around, and if his belt was ever taken he'd be pretty much sunk.

It would be nice to have a backup system, but it would take a lot of fine-tuning and finagling until he was prepared to permanently ink his skin. It was possible he could set it up more like his bijuu seal, using a chakra-based tattoo—that would ensure the seals would only show up if he was channeling chakra to them. That was probably a better idea, all things considered, and he resolved to ask the Old Man about any notes his father had left.

Which turned out to be quite a lot.

He had, at first, been relatively unimpressed when the Hokage had led him to a dusty office with a few scrolls on the desk. He'd gathered them up, however, and returned home to study. Only to realize that two of the scrolls—the two smaller ones—were storage scrolls, with seals inscribed every fifteen cm or so. Once all the papers and notebooks were unsealed, the desk was groaning under the weight and Raiden decided to change things up a bit. He shoved the desk to one side and started sorting everything out on the floor.

The majority of the notes were for two projects: Hiraishin and the jinchuuriki seal. Hiraishin he didn't currently need (though he would definitely be revisiting that later), and he set the jinchuuriki seal project to the side, because it might be helpful with integrating seal matrices with a living chakra source.

There were more notes: the Rasengan, some other half-finished chakra transformation techniques, a list of potential jutsu names (which were, by the way, _awful_ ), a sketch of the kunai his father had been known for (was that his _original_ design?!), pages of calculations, a draft of what looked like a love letter, a receipt from a ninja clothing store, and several notebooks focusing on barrier seals.

It looked like the jinchuuriki seal notes would be his best bet but _wow_ if he wasn't impressed by the whole mess. His dad was a genius—and he didn't have the shadow clone spamming ability, he learned everything he did through good old-fashioned studying.

He re-sealed everything besides the jinchuuriki notes and arranged them into a neat stack. And then made a couple of shadow clones and got to reading.

* * *

"Where's Raiden?" Satoshi asked. He'd just arrived home from work and normally Raiden was the one to greet him first but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead it was Honoka who opened the door for him.

"He's been upstairs in his room for the entire afternoon - I don't think he's even gone to the bathroom since Naruto and I got back."

Satoshi grimaced. "Well if he decides he has to go while I'm showering too bad for him."

Because he wasn't going to eat dinner covered in soot and smelling like he was; the forge was hot and after a day of hard work he wasn't going to come out smelling like roses.

"You do that; I'll get Naruto to go recruit him for dinner prep."

The shower felt really good—the hot water soothed his muscles and it was nice to feel clean again. He could still smell smoke once he got dressed; that smell didn't go away easily but it wasn't nearly as strong as it had been previously, for which he was grateful.

"Anything I can help with?" He asked, seeing the rest of his cousins swarming around the kitchen—apparently they'd managed to get Raiden to take a break.

"Yeah - can you get the plates down for Naruto?"

The last time Naruto had tried to get plates down by himself, he'd accidentally dropped one, and in the process of cleaning up had embedded a shard in his foot that had gone unnoticed until he'd started limping a week later.

In short order dinner was ready and they began to eat, conversation sparse for the first few minutes.

"How was the teacher, Naruto?"

"Baka-sensei was pretty cool once we got to know him! Right, Honoka?" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, right, Honoka?" Raiden echoed with a sly smile, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. Satoshi was sometimes still surprised at how immature Raiden could be despite being a couple of years older. So was Honoka, apparently; she sighed and leveled an unimpressed look at the co-conspirators.

"I have respect for Hatake-san. That is all."

Raiden leaned forward, watching her intently, and after a moment shouted a triumphant "Ha!" A moment passed and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"What?" Naruto asked impatiently.

Raiden sat back in his seat, arms crossed. "She's lying."

"How can you tell?" Satoshi asked, joining the conversation. He'd have much rather stayed out of it—no sense in having Honoka annoyed at him—but he was genuinely curious as to how Raiden had figured it out.

"Her pupils dilated. There was no reason for that to have happened, as the light hadn't changed. So she must have been lying."

"Haha! She does like him!" Naruto crowed. Honoka put her head in her hands in defeat and Satoshi felt a little bit bad for her. But it was fun to tease, to be entirely honest.

"Well, if it makes you feel better," he offered, "you could have chosen worse."

"I can't believe you guys," she said, voice muffled. "Why did I ever want siblings?"

Raiden started laughing, then, and because his laugh was infectious Naruto soon followed, and then him, and eventually Honoka started laughing, too.

 _This_. This, he realized, was what Raiden had meant, when he'd shared his goal, his purpose, those many months ago. This was what family was. What the Uzumaki clan was. Laughing together, sharing together, spending time together and teasing each other. And he found himself silently agreeing to support Raiden however he could.

* * *

Naruto decided the next day that his new sensei was pretty cool.

He looked kinda old - his hair was white - except when he asked Baka-sensei said he was only twenty-two (a year younger than Honoka) and his hair was silver, not white, Naruto wasn't sure if he believed him or not, especially cause he talked kinda like an old person, but Baka-sensei played games with him and there weren't a lot of old people who did that. So maybe he was telling the truth.

He didn't really know but either way Baka-sensei had really funny hair. Honoka must have thought so too, because she laughed after he pointed it out.

The morning was really boring because it was just the stuff that they were doing in the Academy. All the book stuff. Reading was really boring and it was hard to sit still like they wanted in the Academy. But Baka-sensei noticed (he was actually paying attention) and said they could take a break and come back to it later! Usually in the Academy if he moved too much they made him wait out in the hallway. And then he never knew the answers so he got in even more trouble.

But with Baka-sensei when he got bored he got to practice kata and kunai and shuriken and it was really cool. Except as it turned out, he was really bad at kata.

He started one of the Academy kata when Baka-sensei asked, but after the third stance—

"What kata is that?" Honoka asked. Her voice sounded weird.

"That's treason," Kakashi said, and Naruto stopped.

"I never betrayed the village!" He shouted, confused, and Honoka came closer and put her hands on his shoulders, leaning down so he could see her eyes.

"We know, Naruto. What Hatake-san meant was that whoever taught you the kata did it wrong, which is against the law." Naruto didn't know whether to feel better or worse after Honoka's explanation - it meant they believed him, which was nice, but also that the teachers even weren't nice and he'd have to work extra-hard to catch up.

"Now the question is: do we re-teach you the Academy style or scrap it altogether?" Baka-sensei asked, but it was more like he was talking to himself so Naruto didn't say anything.

"Regardless of what you choose, he's eventually going to learn the Uzumaki clan style."

There was an Uzumaki clan style? Naruto perked up on hearing that, but his heart sank in the next second.

"Unfortunately, I don't know that style, and you're leaving soon."

"You have the Sharingan, don't you, Copy Ninja?" Honoka asked - another one of those questions you weren't actually supposed to answer. "I'll show you the first kata now, the rest will have to wait until later or we'll be here all day. Unless you can use shadow clones?"

"With Sharingan - one. Without it, I max at around three."

Naruto had no clue what they were talking about and was getting impatient. "Can we do the kata now?" He asked, _not_ whining.

"Of course - just one more second." Honoka and Baka-sensei both made a weird hand sign he'd never seen before, crossing the first two fingers of each hand in front of them. And two clones poofed into existence - one of Honoka and one of Baka-sensei. The clones went off to the other side of the training ground, where the Honoka clone started doing kata and Baka-sensei's just stood and watched.

"All right, let's start now," Honoka said. "The Uzumaki clan taijutsu style, called Uzu-ken or 'Whirlpool Fist' is about evasion and hard, fast counterattack. It requires speed, dexterity, and strength."

"What's dexterity?" Naruto asked.

"It's being flexible. If you have more dexterity, you can dodge attacks better," Honoka explained.

"Okay." That made sense.

"Here - I'll show you. Hatake-san - "

"Maa, I think we're past formalities," Baka-sensei interrupted. "Call me Kakashi."

Naruto almost laughed but managed to hold it in even though he was smiling a bit. Honoka was turning a little pink and he couldn't tell if she was just really annoyed or embarrassed.

"As I was saying before your teacher so rudely interrupted - pick a style, _Bakashi_ , and attack me."

And then Baka-sensei took a kunai from his pouch, spun it around his finger, and was swinging right at Honoka, who ducked and turned so she was somehow _behind_ Baka-sensei and side-kicked him right in the kidney, making him stumble forward. And the whole thing happened in about two seconds.

"The key is in the circular movements. Ready to learn the first kata?"

The rest of the day went like that - physical activity and training breaking up the boringness of reading books - at least until dinner, when Baka-sensei went to his own house and he and Honoka went home.

Dinner was kinda boring - at least, until he decided to 'accidentally' mention that Honoka and Baka-sensei had been really flirting, which made both Satoshi and Raiden crack up until Honoka smacked the two of them. She was gonna smack him, too, but he made a sad face and she sighed instead. _Success!_ He went to bed feeling like it had been a good day.

* * *

"He's a good kid."

Sarutobi looked at Kakashi, who had caught him on his way home from the office.

"He is," he agreed. "But what keeps you out so late tonight, Kakashi-kun?"

The younger man scratched at his cheek above his mask, something he'd started to do whenever he was preparing to prevaricate. Not that Sarutobi would tell him about it, of course; it wouldn't do to provide a logical explanation for his mysterious all-knowing persona.

"Preparing lessons."

"What kind of lessons?" Sarutobi knew that Kakashi had a habit of stating the superficial, while his true meaning was in the subtle inflections; however it was sometimes necessary to dig deeper because there were multiple ways to interpret his words.

"Ah, Naruto needs a lot of help with taijutsu. You did suitably punish those responsible for Naruto's education, right?" The tone of Kakashi's voice was deceptively light; he was very good at masking his emotions. Sarutobi, in turn, grunted his assent deep in his throat then asked a question of his own.

"Are you going to re-teach him the Academy style?"

"No, actually. He's going to be learning Uzu-ken."

And yet Kakashi hadn't ever learned Uzu-ken, and as far as he was aware Raiden hadn't ever picked it up. So -

"Can I assume Honoka-san is assisting in Naruto's lessons?"

"Ye-es…"

Ah, there was that reluctance to give a straight answer.

"And what do you think of our visitor?" Kakashi shrugged. "I have noticed she has been rather unresponsive to your attempts at flirting."

"Ah, you caught me, Hokage-sama." He seemed pretty good-natured about it, and Sarutobi wondered whether he was actually interested in the Mist kunoichi or just having fun.

"Just try not to start a war. Good night, Kakashi." The younger man disappeared, a pile of leaves left swirling in his wake.

"Young people these days."

He continued home.

* * *

A couple days passed and Raiden figured he was ready to go. His chakra control was passable, his physical fitness was nearly back to normal, and he'd been able to go into Sage Mode again, even though his time limit was much less than it had been. And with Naruto's situation sorted, his presence was no longer necessary in Konoha. It was time to go on a sword hunt, and he knew exactly where to start.

In his genin days he'd gone on a mission, something about a mining family, with Gai's team. And somehow (he was almost certain C-ranks were cursed) they'd run into Raiga Kurosuki, the wielder of the Kiba blades. The man had had a kid with him that he was protecting and since the mission had been in Yu no Kuni - a generally peaceful place - he figured that was his best bet. After all, Yu no Kuni would be a great place to raise a kid if you were a nukenin; it was generally self-policed and fairly removed from all the Great Villages.

He didn't remember much about the man, only really two things: he was extremely skilled with lightning style techniques, and he absolutely hated the other Swordsmen, Zabuza in particular. Obtaining the swords would be difficult; he'd never voluntarily return the swords to Kirigakure but Raiden didn't know if he was physically able yet to defeat Raiga. The confrontation was going to have to be more finesse than brute force, that was for sure.

Back to the present, though: he was still in Konoha, and he had to talk with Honoka, to let her know, though he had no doubt she was already somewhat aware.

The next day dawned bright and early, the light a little warmer each day as spring progressed. Throughout the morning gear was inspected, supplies were sealed (it was with great consternation that he'd realized seals on living beings were incompatible with inanimate objects, that had no chakra of their own) and goodbyes were said. They left just before noon, so as to get a fair distance before dark. At the pace they were setting, they would be in Yu no Kuni in a couple days, then they would have to fine-comb the country, starting with the northern end and working their way down to the coast.

They fell into an easy routine - travel, stop at a town, spam shadow clones, search said town, and continue until it got dark, at which point they'd stop for the night. If they were lucky they'd be able to hit two towns, but usually it was just one.

For about a week they did this, until they stopped in a very small town, deep in the forest - a logging town. They'd searched for Raiga but hadn't found him there - though in their searching they'd confirmed he was somewhere in the area - but something else instead.

"Is that what I think it is?" Raiden asked, watching incredulously as a man on one side of the muddy clearing cut down a tree.

"…I think so," Honoka agreed, sounding equally astonished. Another moment passed. "Yeah, that's definitely the Kabutowari."

"How did it get here, though?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Guess not. I kinda feel bad, though, we'll be taking away a really good tree-cutter," Raiden admitted.

"We can cut more wood for them before we leave, if you're worried about it, but they'll be fine. They survived without it before, they can survive without it again. And who knows what damage they've done to the blade?" Honoka pointed out, and Raiden found himself agreeing with her logic.

So, that night, when the rest of the loggers went back to the town, the two of them grabbed the Kabutowari and headed back to the lumber camp. While holding the Kabutowari, he spammed a ton of shadow clones, then handed it over to Honoka, who did the same thing.

Then they sealed away the sword (a storage scroll sufficed, and Honoka volunteered to carry it), set the clones to work, and continued on their way - best to leave before the townspeople woke up.

As they still had about three weeks before the time limit was up, they elected to continue on, and resumed their search pattern. As it was, the journey from the coast of Yu no Kuni to Kirigakure would take about a week, so they had just under two weeks in which to find Raiga.

And, as luck would have it, six days later they found success. Or rather, they found Raiga - any success with actually obtaining the blade would be of their own making. But they'd have to act quickly; only a few days remained and they probably wouldn't get a second chance before they had to go back.

As soon as they'd spotted Raiga (from the back, but he was wearing the Kiba so Raiden was pretty sure it was him, not to mention that weird bundle thing that was the kid) they'd ducked into a nearby restaurant and claimed one of the back tables. A quick privacy barrier (obscuring sound, their appearances, and their chakra) was put up and they began to discuss tactics.

"I don't want to kill him," Raiden said, right off the bat. "That bundle on his back - he's carrying a kid with him. As long as we get him in a barrier, we can lock him down and just take the swords off him."

"But how are we going to get him in the barrier? And what kind of barrier? It's not like we can draw one in the middle of a fight - he was one of the Swordsmen, and you're not up to full strength, are you - at least control-wise?"

Raiden reluctantly conceded the point, but Honoka had a few more holes to poke in his plan. "And what kind of barrier would allow us to go take the swords off of him? A paralyzation or chakra-drain or gravity seal might work, but as soon as you step in you're subject to the effect as well."

"…oh yeah." Honoka rolled her eyes at him, and they sat quietly, brainstorming other options.

"Do you have any seal tags for paralysis? Or any that incapacitate?"

"Not on me, but I could make some," he answered slowly. "The problem would be getting close enough to apply them without getting skewered or electrocuted."

"We could try the barrier, get him to do whatever, then apply the tag from a distance," Honoka suggested.

"From a distance? How? Use a long stick?" Raiden asked skeptically, but Honoka just shrugged.

"If it works, it works. Just put glue on the seal tag, stick it on Raiga, drop the barrier, then activate the tag remotely. You can do that with explosion tags, though I wouldn't use one of those in this case." He nodded, seeing that her idea might actually work.

"We still have to set up a barrier, though," he said. "Far from the town, and in a setting he'd be at least somewhat secure in."

They glanced outside.

"Overcast. He could pull lightning down no problem."

"He'd have to be in a more open area, though."

"Because of all the lightning, yeah…the hot springs?"

"Mm. There's some just a bit to the west; he'd be the only lightning rod in that area because a lot of the vegetation around there is so low."

"And there's enough obstacles and space to maneuver him into a particular spot."

"Sounds like a plan," Raiden concluded, leaning back in his chair.

"We still have to decide which barrier we're using, and set it up," Honoka reminded him. "I think either a lightning seal or paralysis seal would work best to temporarily incapacitate."

She paused. "Wait, forget the lightning seal, he's probably immune to that."

"Okay then. One paralysis barrier, coming up." It would only require three tags; the barrier didn't need to be large and didn't need to last very long. The seal tag meant for Raiga, however, needed to last a bit longer.

"While I work on the barrier, do you wanna do the paralysis tag?" he asked. Honoka agreed. She pulled her sealing kit out of her pack - it was a bit more practical, sometimes, than keeping everything in storage seals - and they began their respective tasks. It only took a few minutes, and they finished at approximately the same time; he had three seals to do but Honoka's was more complex.

"You ready to explore some hot springs?" Raiden asked, grinning.

* * *

 **AN: Update is a couple days early, how exciting.**

 **Um, I don't know where Honoka/Kakashi came from? I was just like - what am I going to do with Honoka while Satoshi is at work and Raiden is working on bijuu chakra and sage mode or whatever that she can't help with? And then Kakashi being Naruto's teacher - Honoka would want to spend time with Naruto, so…yeah. Yep. That's a thing now, apparently**

 **As for my update schedule: I'm a college student. And I have a lot of different story ideas I work on (I've only posted a small fraction). And I like to think I focus on quality, not quantity.**

 **And different POV this chapter! I thought I'd try it out, see if you guys liked it. It was pretty fun, tbh.**

 **P.S.! My brother convinced me to create an account on p.a.t.r.e.o.n (ignore the periods, I can't type it otherwise), where I will be publishing ONLY original content. Please go check it out, even if you don't want to give money. Thanks everyone! (and since ff is jealous and won't let me put the link up my url is the name of the website and then /rune_ )**


	13. Chapter 13: Swords

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Raiga was on high alert. Ranmaru had said he'd seen something earlier, but he hadn't known how to properly describe it. As long as it wasn't hunter-nin, he was fairly confident he could evade or defend himself from whatever or whoever it was, at least if it didn't take him unawares. Thus his current level of alertness.

"We're going to find a place to sleep, okay, Ranmaru?" He asked, and heard a small hum from the bundle on his back. He turned the corner, but immediately knew it was a mistake: there were two shinobi halfway down the road. They had similar features; red hair and narrow noses and round faces. And one of them was wearing a Kiri hitai-ite, her clothes also typical Kiri dress.

He didn't think they were hunter-nin but he didn't think they were a good thing either way. He clenched his teeth and kept walking; to do otherwise would only bring attention to himself and Ranmaru. At the end of the street he turned again, and began to run.

"Change of plans, Ranmaru," he said grimly. "We're getting out of here."

He headed west —in case of a confrontation, the hot springs west of the town would give him the greatest advantage. Out there, without the tall trees of the forest on the other three sides of the village, he would be able to call down lightning easier. And the terrain was fairly flat, so the two shinobi would be easier targets because of the range of visibility.

"Do you see them Ranmaru?" He asked, still running through the streets, though the village's west gate was now in sight.

"Yes." The answer meant they were following him; he'd been running for several minutes now. Ranmaru's voice was thin, reedy ––he was scared. Raiga cursed and made a couple of clones, then ran faster, the clones spreading out around him. He altered his path slightly; he'd go over the wall instead of through the gate. Hopefully it would throw the two of them off.

No such luck; barely ten seconds later the male shinobi was in front of him and was aiming at his left with a kunai; he dodged right and ran diagonally. But where was–

"Now, Honoka!"

Raiga jerked to a stop, feet planted awkwardly on the rock and his muscles refusing to move. The male paused, catching his breath—his stamina was surprisingly low—and the kunoichi moved so she was standing in front of Raiga, several paces away still, one hand in a half-ram. He raged silently when he caught sight of the spirals sewn on the shoulders of both of their shirts—Uzumaki, were they? He'd thought they'd managed to wipe the clan out good and proper but apparently some rats had survived.

"Your turn now, Raiden," she said, voice flat. Raiga flared his chakra and her face tightened—maybe if he kept it up long enough he'd break the barrier.

And then the male—Raiden—moved out of his view and he felt something on the back of his neck. The kunoichi released the barrier and he _lunged_ but fell on his face as his muscles once again seized, this time painfully.

"Sorry about that," he heard from behind him—the only thing he could see was dirt. "But, you know, I kind of need these."

Raiga felt Ranmaru squirm and tried to curse but only managed to grunt; if they touched Ranmaru he would kill them or die trying. But it wasn't Ranmaru they wanted—Raiga felt the Kiba being slid out from their positions and tried to move—he needed those, to protect Ranmaru!

He heard footsteps, fading away into distance. And then it was just the wind, blowing across the earth, and the bubble of the hot springs and then the patter of rain on rock as they storm started. He laid there, an utter loathing growing in him, loathing towards himself, for being weak, and towards the Uzumaki, for making him even more so.

He laid there, even after whatever they'd done to him wore off, and would have remained there had Ranmaru not needed his help. He picked himself up, picked Ranmaru up, and swore revenge on the Uzumaki.

* * *

"We have two blades. _Two!_ " Raiden crowed—they'd chartered an old fishing boat and had made it onto the main island of Mizu no Kuni and were now approaching Kirigakure with a few days to spare.

"Three, actually, because the Kiba is two separate blades."

"You know what I mean! Either way, I'm not gonna have Zabuza breathing down my neck so that counts as a win in my book."

"I think that would be a win in anyone's book; the Mizukage is scary even when in a good mood. He just has this _aura_ of bloodthirstiness."

Raiden was reluctant to admit it, but he did still find the man intimidating. It wasn't a gut-wrenching, paralyzing terror like he'd felt as a green genin, but he was still always on edge when interacting with him and he was even more reluctant to admit he wanted to know how to do it. Of course, there was always KI but somehow whatever Zabuza did was above that, as Raiden hadn't felt him use chakra in his office the last time he was there and Zabuza had still managed to intimidate him.

"Hey, we're here," Honoka said, gesturing ahead to where the top of the administrative building was poking up.

"Great." Raiden grimaced. Despite the success they'd had with finding two of the blades—or three, rather—he still had three more to find, and he was uncertain of his continued security in Kiri as long as he contained Isobu. So, for the rest of his life, basically; he wasn't unaware that they were just using him to recover their blades. As soon as the blades were all found they would have no use for him and they could easily kill him and retrieve Isobu. At least he'd be safe until the rest of the blades were found.

Probably.

He sighed but continued on, Honoka slightly ahead of him, waving at people she recognized on the street and he attempted smiles—it might help his case if he were friendly. Very few of them acknowledged it, though, so maybe not.

Be that as it may, they'd made it to the administrative building and there was only two flights of stairs, two doors, and one hallway between him and his impending doom. Okay, so _maybe_ he was exaggerating—but it had always been a coping mechanism; poking fun at a situation always made it less intimidating.

One door down, then the staircase, then the other staircase, and the hallway and then the final door…

"Yo! We're back!" He yelled, kicking the door in. It slammed against the wall next to him, having swung all the way around in just a split-second from how hard he'd kicked it. Honoka put her hand over her mouth, hiding a smile; Zabuza looked annoyed and a bit tense.

"I trust you've been able to complete the first retrieval," Zabuza said, rising from his seat and placing his hands flat on the desk.

"Yes, Mizukage-sama," Honoka answered, pre-empting Raiden's snappy retort. Which was probably a good thing, all things considered. "We have even been able to go above the minimum requirement; we bring you the Kiba as well as the Kabutowari."

She took the storage scrolls out of her pack as she named the blades and unsealed them, leaving all three gleaming on Zabuza's desk. The man looked reluctantly impressed.

"Well done, Honoka-san. As for you, Raiden Uzumaki, I trust that your success will continue for the foreseeable future."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama."

"Good. Come back in ten days; I have relevant information to share but I need my ninja at their highest capability before I assign another mission."

It was an obvious dismissal, especially considering that he was re-sealing the blades and ignoring them, so they fled, in a most dignified manner, from his office.

"Glad that went well," Raiden commented, lacing his fingers behind his head. It was a relief but it had been so anticlimactic he wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"Reasonably so, yes," Honoka agreed. There was a brief pause, shortly interrupted by Raiden's growling stomach.

"Ramen?"

"Oh, yes, please."

The ramen restaurant wasn't too busy and they got a table as soon as they entered. Or rather, they were added to one of the larger tables, which already housed three occupants.

"Hey, it's, uh, Raiden, right?"

Three occupants who were Honoka's friends; the ones he'd met on his previous 'visit' to Kirigakure.

"Yeah, and you'll be happy to know that I'm all clear for chakra use. Ah, Fuyumi, right?"

"I'm impressed," she said back, and then gestured to the other two. "I'd be even more impressed if you could remember the names of these two as well."

Raiden narrowed his eyes in concentration. The brown-haired one, he'd been the first one he'd met—Daiki—but the other one had been quieter, more polite, a bit aloof. It started with an A, he was sure—Akio? No, that wasn't right—Asuka? No, that was a girl's name…think!

"Atsuo! And Daiki."

"That's right," Daiki said. "Well, it's nice that you're better, I guess. If you're willing to spar with Fuyumi again, it would take quite a bit of pressure off us as her test dummies."

Raiden laughed; Daiki's tone was lighthearted and he appreciated the welcoming gesture. He thumped his chest. "Of course! Nothing can take me down!"

Honoka cuffed him. "You idiot. What about when Naruto put the rest of the bottle of chili oil in your ramen? You were crying so hard you couldn't see."

"Oi! I wasn't crying! It was just so spicy that my eyes were sweating!"

"That doesn't even make sense, moron!"

At this point Fuyumi was in stitches, and Atsuo and Daiki were both grinning. Raiden was saved by the waiter, who shortly collected their orders, and left with a dubious expression: Raiden and Honoka both had ordered an amount of ramen equivalent to the rest of the table combined.

"I guess it's an Uzumaki thing," Daiki commented, nodding towards the stack of bowls on either side of the two redheads once they'd finished eating.

"It is," Raiden answered after stifling a yawn. "Naruto—he's seven by the way—has both of us beat when it comes to ramen. And Satoshi, while a civvie, still can eat three bowls in one sitting."

Atsuo shook his head solemnly. "I bet the Uzumaki clan had amazing ramen recipes."

Raiden scowled. He hadn't ever really thought about that before, but now that he was thinking about it he was rather upset. The destruction of Uzushio was not only tragic and brutal in regards to the loss of life, it was also tragic and brutal because of the loss of culture. Culture that they would probably never recover.

Sensing that it was something of a sensitive subject, Atsuo decided to abandon that line of thought. "So what brings you here, Raiden? You mentioned in your earlier visit a potential treaty between Amegakure and our own Kirigakure. Have things progressed since then?"

Right. Cover story. "Currently I am completing a series of missions in the aid of Kirigakure with Honoka as supervisor—I guess they don't trust me on my own and figure she's the one I'm least likely to attack. I mean, they're not wrong," he added hastily. "I just—why bite the hand that feeds you, right? And it would be nice if the treaty were made. At the very least I figure we'll end up with some sort of détente."

"Are the missions classified? Or are we allowed to know what you're up to?" Fuyumi asked. Raiden could practically taste her curiosity.

"They're classified up until they're complete. It's really only one mission with several parts; we've completed two of the five parts already," Honoka said blandly. "So at the very most it should be less than a year for the mission to be complete."

"Oh, good," Fuyumi said. "It's been boring around here with only the boys for company."

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Daiki exclaimed; Atsuo just smiled, knowing it was only joking between friends. It was at times like these that Raiden thought back to his genin days and the times he'd played hooky from the Academy. It seemed like so long ago; now he was just busy all the time and it felt good to just be able to relax and spend time with the people close to him. Honoka, Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, Satoshi, Naruto, Shisui, Kakashi—his list of friends and family was growing longer all the time. And honestly—that was one of the best things he could ask for.

"Well, as nice as it was to meet you all again, I'm beat," he said. "Is it okay if I just head back to your place, Honoka?"

She gave him a _look_. "You can't go by yourself; you would be an unsupervised foreign shinobi. I'll have to come with; you all can come as well if you like."

"I can put up silencing seals so don't bother about me," Raiden added, and the three of them ended up agreeing. It was a pleasant walk back to Honoka's apartment, which despite being vacant for so long was only a little dusty. Full bellies, good company, relief of a job well-done.

Once they got there he went to the futon in the corner—they hadn't put it away before they'd left for Konoha—and wrote a silencing seal. He slipped it under the futon and then went to go shower and relieve himself before saying goodnight to Honoka's friends and crashing.

* * *

After their ten-day break, Raiden was once more eager to get on with his task. Granted, Honoka's friends were pretty decent, and fun to hang around with. But the longer the mission took, the longer it would be before he could return home, to Satoshi and Naruto. So he and Honoka headed to the office the morning of the third day, eager to hear whatever Zabuza had to say.

He wasn't disappointed.

"We have reason to believe Kumogakure is in possession of the Nuibari." And that little bit of shocking news was only surpassed by his next statement. "And because of the success of the last mission, and the fact that your life is collateral, we have agreed to allow Raiden Uzumaki to complete this retrieval solo."

Like he was that naïve. He had been when he was younger, of course, but he'd gained a great deal of knowledge in the last few years of his life and he liked to think he was wiser now. Of course they weren't sending him because they trusted him; they were sending him because he'd given them results and because if he died they really didn't care. And they wouldn't want to send Honoka in; she was a loyal Kiri kunoichi and they would risk more than they could afford by sending her.

He glanced over at her—she'd gotten the underlying reasoning as much as he had, of course, and didn't look entirely pleased so he sent her a reassuring smile.

"I'll do it, no problem," he said. It would take a lot of planning, however. None of his usual rushing-in-and-hoping-it-works-out-for-the-best strategies, which he was aware he relied on far too often. This was another one of those extremely politically fraught situations—like the one that had gotten him into the whole mess in the first place—except this time he wouldn't have anything like that to leverage to keep himself alive.

"Good. I expect the blade on my desk in three months. If you need any materials for your mission, we will provide them, within reason."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama," he said, winking at Ao, who had just entered the room. It was rather entertaining to bait the older ninja, who strove to behave professionally in front of his leader. Which meant not alienating potential assets.

Honoka grabbed his arm and dragged him out before he could do anything else and he grouched at her.

"Come on, don't ruin my fun, I only have the rest of this morning to annoy him!"

"Well, I think the morning would be better used with, I don't know, actually getting information on Kumo, and possible getting any materials that you might need from the mission office downstairs?" Honoka said, her ever-present pragmatism pulling out of his pranking mood.

"Yeah, okay, you're right. At least with the information part; I won't know if I need anything from materials. Actually—do they have Kumo uniforms? 'Cause that would be really cool—"

Honoka pulled him forward, then shoved him hard enough that he staggered a step back.

"What are you _doing_ , idiot? They've given you a suicide mission. Infiltrate one of the Hidden Villages, by yourself? And then steal a weapon of such renown? They're not expecting you to bring it back, Raiden, but _I_ don't want you to die. Can you at least _pretend_ to be taking this seriously? For my sake?"

Raiden was honestly speechless. Making light of the situation was how he'd always coped with things; he'd thought that if he laughed hard enough it would somehow be able to block out all the hateful whispers, that it would somehow brighten the impassive looks. He'd never once thought, not having people close to him during those times, about how it would affect them.

"Let's just go, get the info you need," she said. They went downstairs, to the information office, and then to the mission office—as it turned out, they did have a Kumo uniform, more than one, and he'd found one that fit. Just in case. He got some extra rations, too—Kiri had a greater selection of quick meals and he wanted to try a ration bar, just to see if they were better than Konoha's. Judging from the expression of faint disgust on Honoka's face when he picked it up, he doubted it, but didn't think it could possibly be that much worse so got it anyway. It was high in nutrients, anyway, so even if it tasted horrible it would still give him what he needed. And he didn't think anything would be worse than Sakura's pills, which, thankfully, had been a short-lived invention.

Eventually, though, the preparation ended and he was itching to get going. Sitting around had never been his strong suit, and he was done with it.

"Look, I'll be fine, Honoka. I'm sorry I was being an idiot, but I promise—I'm going to blow them away. You'll see. I'll get the Nuibari, and I'll come back without a scratch."

"You'd better," she answered, giving him a hug and a smile. "I've gotten used to your antics and it would be a shame to lose that."

There wasn't really anything to say, so he just hugged her back and went on his way, holding a hand up in a wave.

He traveled leisurely, at least for a shinobi; the boat he and Honoka had taken from the coast of Yu no Kuni he took back, allowing shadow clones to actually sail it while he planned.

He had to get in to Kumogakure, find the Nuibari, take it, and get back to Kiri, all the while leaving no evidence that he'd been there. Shadow clones were a definite advantage here; the only problem was leaving traces of his chakra or a sensor detecting a lot of the same chakra scattered around. If he could make a seal to mask his chakra signature, though, then the risk of him being caught would decrease immensely. Except he couldn't just hide his chakra completely; all living things had at least some chakra and if there wasn't any chakra present in a person, or animal, or bug, or whatever he'd use to gather information then security would increase, making his job even more difficult than it already was.

Of course, he could always put his clones in sage mode. Each clone would have about seven minutes (it was the longest he'd worked back up to) before it popped. And the good thing about sage mode was what the nature chakra did to his natural chakra . Along with completely changing the feel of his chakra, it differed slightly depending on the environment. Nature chakra was drawn from the area around the person utilizing it, and so even a small difference in what was around the clone when they gathered the chakra would change the feel of it. And nature chakra was much more similar to an animal's chakra than a henge'd shadow clone.

Seven minutes, however, was not a very long time. Of course, there was always training to do that could extend the time sage mode lasted, but even with shadow clones it was time-intensive. If only there was a way to transfer chakra between clones…could he make a seal for that? If he had a vessel that could store chakra—say, perhaps, a seal—and made a current somehow? Or just connected two clones and have the chakra flow both ways? The stationary clone would be in charge of the chakra balancing, then, for the both of them.

Something to work on, at least. And he'd have to dampen his own chakra signature, which took stellar control—that, or another seal. And that one he knew how to make.

His plan grew in depth and detail as he got closer to Kaminari no Kuni; the boat could only go so fast and he had enough free time with the shadow clones doing nearly everything.

He'd sneak in as a civilian. Pretty easy; most village security was much more lax on civvies and he'd be able to pull it off as long as he had the chakra-dampening seal and kept his head down. He'd have to pull out a pack, though, and stuff it with basic camping supplies—civilians weren't authorized to own storage scrolls, which was a privilege unique to shinobi.

Once in the village, he'd have to employ his shinobi disguise, as he would need to be able to access his chakra to create the clones and apply the chakra channel seals—which he was, of course, still fine-tuning. Once the clones were created and the seals were applied, the clones would transform into different animals—a variety of small rodents, snakes, birds, and possible some insects. Things that would be ignored.

He'd wait until they found the Nuibari, and then—he was particularly proud of having thought this up—employ a seal he'd created on his way to the chakra channel seal. It was a storage scroll—pretty basic, really—except that the space-time pocket was fixed. Meaning, he'd 'tagged' it, and so as long as he included the 'tag' in a storage seal, it would access the same space-time pocket. So a clone would take one of the special storage seals to where the Nuibari was, seal it, burn the seal—with a match, he wanted to leave as few chakra traces as possible—and then, if it was possible, leave the area and pop somewhere out-of-the-way, to reduce leaving residual chakra in a conspicuous spot, even if his chakra signature was disguised by the nature chakra.

By then Raiden would be out of Kumogakure—leave before the crime, that would provide him a solid alibi, especially since he'd be leaving in his civilian disguise—and on his way back to Kirigakure, the Nuibari safely ensconced in the other special storage seal.

Honoka would be proud of him.

* * *

His disguise was pretty good, if he did say so himself. Tannish skin—quite a bit darker than his usual pale shade—dark brown hair, and plain trousers and shirt and sandals. And, of course, a traveler's pack, containing a blanket, some food—not ninja rations, those would be a dead giveaway if they searched his pack—some fishing cord and a knife and fire-starter kit. His belt he'd turned inside-out, to keep the seals from showing, and he kept his shirt untucked to add another layer of protection from prying eyes. And, of course, his shirt hid another thing: the chakra-dampening seal, which he'd placed on his lower back.

To his surprise, Kumo didn't have gates. Instead, the village was protected by the natural rock formations in the surrounding area. The city was built in a sort of canyon, which at the entrance was extremely narrow, allowing the ninja on guard duty to see everyone who was entering the village.

"Hello, there," Raiden said, affecting simple smile and a sort of backwater accent. "The weather always this nice up 'ere?"

"I wish it were," the guard said. "Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Enjoy your stay, sir."

"Thankee very much," he said, and continued on to the village, glad that his ruse had succeeded.

He'd chosen the disguise carefully. After passing through a couple of small towns, he'd modeled his henge to have similar features to some of the farmers he'd seen, and he'd made it so he looked a little older. After all, Kumo had to get domestic missions from somewhere, right? And he'd played a bumbling countryman for two reasons: one, because a lot of the smaller villages didn't keep a registration of their citizens because they were so small, and two; because he'd thought it would be fun.

He wandered around for a while, just kind of getting a feel for the place. Their village was actually really cool—most of their buildings were _inside_ the rock formations, wood and glass jutting out in places to give natural light. It was fascinating.

He ducked into a bathroom to make his transformation. Off went the seal, and his clothes were switched for the shinobi uniform, though he kept his belt on under the shirt. He henge'd once more, into a different, though still nondescript appearance and then checked to make sure nobody who had seen him enter the stall was still there to see the transformation.

The coast was clear so he exited the stall, washed his hands, then went on his way. So far, his plan was proceeding nicely. The next step was to seed the area with shadow clones.

So, like any loyal Kumo shinobi, he went on patrol, making extra-sure to check out any dark alleyways for suspicious activity, which then suddenly developed infestations of native pests, or became nesting places for common birds.

And then he heard something. It was faint, at first, rhythmic, somehow familiar.

So he followed it. As he walked, the sound became louder, more recognizable, until finally he was standing at the back of a small crowd, all facing towards a stage set up in a large flat area.

"A tailed beast resides, inside my hide! Makin' beats and rhymes and I'm makin' 'em live—It's what a Jinchuuriki needs to survive, battle and battle up here in the Bee hive!"

It was _Bee_. He laughed, astonished and yet so, so happy. It was _Bee_ , making up stupid rhymes and performing them anyway. And his village loved him for it; the only thing Raiden heard were cheers. He stayed until the end of the concert; he had enough shadow clones around the city that searching himself wouldn't make a difference. Besides, the concert really was entertaining when you really got into it; though his rhymes left something to be desired, Bee's enthusiasm and attitude were infectious, and his audience couldn't help but enjoy the performance.

It was starting to get dark, and the show was beginning to wind down, when Raiden stiffened. One of his clones had popped, sending him its memories—one of which included the location of the Nuibari. It was, as he probably should have expected, in the main administrative building, near the Raikage's office. What he wasn't expecting, however, were the other contents of the room—artifacts collected from the other villages. One of which was an scroll that looked to be made of high-quality silk, yellowed with age. What made it more interesting, though, was the symbol on the ends of the wood: a faded red spiral.

He was going to take it along with the Nuibari. And he was going to do it that night. His lightheartedness converted to determination and he began to make preparations. He dispelled the rest of his clones slowly, making sure they'd released the nature chakra first; he couldn't risk an influx of nature chakra at the moment.

He just had to wait, at least until the Raikage left his office. Most of the other ninja he wouldn't mind fighting but a scuffle with the Raikage would probably end up with his decapitation and he'd rather that _not_ happen as he liked his head where it was. Though the artifacts weren't actually in his office, they were close enough that he didn't want to take the risk. And there was a guard outside the artifact room that he would have to get past first.

It would only take a small modification of his plan…

* * *

It wasn't the most exciting job. It was always cool to see what new artifacts shinobi brought in from missions, but that didn't happen often and the job was mostly just keeping them in good condition and keeping a basic watch on the door.

He stood a little straighter after catching sight of a shinobi down the hall. He tried not to look interested—it was a bit odd to be watching someone walk down a hallway towards you, after all—but the shinobi stopped in front of him.

"You the guy in charge of the artifact room?" The shinobi said, looking bored.

"Er, yes, that's me."

"I got somethin' for ya, here." The shinobi handed him a wrapped bundle and opened it to see a slightly nicked kunai. A special kunai; this one had three prongs and the hilt was covered in seal paper. "True-blue Hiraishin kunai, with the seal intact."

He wrapped it back up hastily.

"I'll just put this away then, thank you."

"Yeah, sure."

The shinobi turned and ambled back down the hall, and he went into the room to find a place for it. There was an empty stand somewhere near the middle, which he placed the kunai on, arranged artfully on the cloth it came wrapped in.

He left the room, never noticing the tiny insect crawling up the handle of the kunai.

The bug climbed the metal incline all the way to the end of it, where it stopped and turned a full circle, the room around it reflected hundreds of times in its segmented eyes.

Seconds later, the insect transformed into a person, with dark hair and tan skin, wearing a shinobi uniform. The person picked up three items—the kunai it had been climbing on, a long, thin sword shaped like a needle, and an old, yellowed scroll.

The shinobi pulled out a piece of paper and laid it on the ground, and then placed the three objects on top of it, one by one, and they disappeared. The shinobi held up the paper and lit a match, touching the flame to a corner of the paper and letting the paper burn. The ashes were collected and put in the shinobi's mouth, who grimaced at the taste. A moment later the shinobi was gone, the faint smell of smoke the only evidence left of his presence.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter somehow went** _ **really**_ **fast. Like, I typed most of it in a week fast. And I'm not really sure how that happened but I'm definitely not complaining. And thus, I've decided to change my update schedule a bit: I'll update when I finish a chapter, minimum of once a month.**

 **Um, Seven Swords Arc will probably wrap up in the next couple of chapters? And then it's on to some new stuff.**

 **Needless to say, I'm pretty proud of this story. Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/followed, it really means a lot!**


	14. Chapter 14: Swords II

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

He was busting out of Kumogakure as soon as night fell. Well. Busting was a bit strong, probably, but he'd made it out and was running flat out , in sage mode to both increase speed and obscure his chakra signature.

Earlier in the afternoon he'd submitted his dad's old Hiraishin kunai—liberated from Konoha's armory—to the artifact room in Kumo. He had, of course, forgotten to mention that he'd put a shadow clone disguised as a small fly on the inner ring of the kunai. Since it was just past dusk, he assumed that the clone had completed its assignment and he was now in possession of the Nuibari, along with the returned kunai and the Uzumaki seal scroll.

He'd take a quick stop and check; he had a several hour lead on any searchers even if they'd set out immediately and a few minutes wouldn't hurt. He checked his tagged storage seal, and—yes, all three items were laid out before him on the dirt. He re-sealed them quickly and chugged some water and a food pill—he wouldn't stop for real until he was back on the boat.

Three days (and copious amounts of food and chakra pills) later, the coast was in sight and he allowed himself to slow down. The ship appeared in his field of view perhaps an hour later—time was odd after a few days of no sleep—and he made a few clones, who all got the ship moving as he climbed up onto the deck, at least having the presence to set up a barrier seal before allowing himself to crash.

* * *

When he next woke up he was still exhausted, though it wasn't the bone-deep weariness from before. He was sore, though, pretty much all over, and stretched to try and take the stiffness from his muscles.

He sat up and dispelled the barrier, glad that he'd put it up because his clones looked to be on their last legs, with drawn faces and tattered clothing. The only reason they'd been able to stay 'alive' so long was from augmenting their own chakra with nature chakra.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked, not aiming the question to any one clone in particular.

"…About three days, Boss," came the eventual answer.

…That would explain his sudden and urgent need to relieve himself.

Once that was taken care of, he realized another pressing need—his stomach. He dispelled all the shadow clones first—he could keep in on course for a few minutes on his own—and unsealed a ration bar from his belt. One of the Kiri ration bars.

It was disgusting. A lot saltier than the Konoha bars; they probably put seaweed in theirs because it was so full of minerals. But it didn't improve the flavor at all.

Nevertheless, he was grateful for the food, despite the taste. It was better than having nothing at all.

He glanced out at the horizon; by his estimate—the clones' estimate, really—he had about four days before he'd reach the main island, and another couple days after that to get to Kirigakure. Wouldn't Zabuza be surprised?

He summoned another couple clones. They looked about how he felt, exhausted, but much better than before. And with nothing to really prepare, he decided to help in the sailing; it would help ease the stiffness in his muscles.

The weather was nice; a slightly salty breeze kept his hair out of his face and as long as he had his jacket on he was plenty warm enough. He could feel Isobu's contentment; the sea was where he felt the most at home and it wasn't often that Raiden traveled by ship. As it was, he and Isobu shared in their contentment, enjoying the peace of traveling by themselves, knowing that, where they were at that moment, they were safe.

Of course, after a couple days of that it was beginning to be less exciting and he turned to the scroll he'd recovered. He was extra-careful with it; silk so old could be fragile and he really wanted to know what was on it.

He untied the twine keeping it shut and unrolled it gently. The words on the far left intrigued him; the scroll was simply titled 'Mask Temple'. He unrolled it further, so it was open nearly the length of his arm, and saw, wide-eyed, drawings of masks, all horned, all smiling, all together more than a bit unsettling. As he read further, he grew even more unsettled. The explanation of what the masks did—it was scary. The temple contained within it, quite literally, the power to destroy the world. In the hands of the wrong person, it would mean disaster.

Fortunately, the temple was located near Konoha, for what reason he didn't know. But it would be simple enough, on his next sword-retrieval mission, to swing by and set up the strongest barrier seal he knew. Which, coincidentally, was capable of stopping a bijuu bomb—or at least, redirecting it; the barrier was such that anything that hit it would jump from the point of contact to the wall opposite, completely missing anything in the middle. Even a person attempting to walk through the barrier would get transported, except the one who put it up.

Peace of mind somewhat assured, he devoted himself to studying the scroll until he knew it inside and out, which took the entirety of the next two days. At that point it was another quick two days back to Kiri, where he presented the Nuibari to Zabuza, laying the blade exactly where he'd placed the previous two on his desk.

"Three weeks," Zabuza said lowly. "It only took you _three weeks_."

"…Yes."

"Fine. Two days off, then you better get going again. Same time frame applies. This time, however, there's nothing I can give you."

"Awesome! Thanks for not killing me, ya know? Later!" There was no Honoka to curb his immature attitude at the moment, and he didn't think Zabuza would risk killing him, especially not since he'd been so successful so far.

He still hurried on his way back to Honoka's apartment, however.

She wasn't home so he climbed in through the window—she didn't have a spare key—and helped himself to some instant ramen he found in the cupboard. He'd have to buy some more; his supply was running low and he didn't know how long he'd be able to last on a mission with only ration bars and whatever else he managed to scrounge up.

He contemplated his next course of action as he ate. Kiri now had five of their swords—Kubikiriboucho, Hiramekarei, Kiba, Kabutowari, and Nuibari, which meant that the two swords remaining were the Shibuki and Samehada. Samehada, of course, would be difficult to obtain by himself; it was in the possession of Kisame, and Raiden was pretty sure the Akatsuki—

He cursed, suddenly. Were the Akatsuki even a thing? He'd prevented 'Pain' and Konan from joining, and after the failed not-coup Itachi wasn't about to join anytime soon either. But Pain had never been the true leader, that had been Tobi and Madara, neither of whom he'd even heard mention of in the new timeline. But the other Akatsuki members—Deidara, Zetsu, Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Kisame, Sasori, Hidan—they were alive, and recruiting was probably pretty aggressive.

But without Itachi, who would Kisame be with? And would there be new members, people he didn't know about? A thought struck him. Danzou had managed to escape after the Uchiha fiasco. Would he have joined them? Probably; they were only promising unlimited power. He'd have to warn the other jinchuuriki before the Akatsuki made a move.

Actually—that would be a good selling point, in regards to getting Utakata back to the village. He might end up having to spill the whole sordid story about the Akatsuki's plans and the history behind it, but if he could save even one person it would be worth it ten times over.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door. He twisted in his seat and just looked at her blankly; it took her a moment to respond but her face split into a smile.

"You're back!"

"Oh, yeah. It wasn't too bad, actually—" The rest of the sentence was lost as she hugged him, hard; it was a bit uncomfortable since his face was mashed into her shoulder but he let her have her moment.

"Wait—" She pulled back, hands still gripping his shoulders firmly. "How are you even here? It's only been three weeks!"

He rubbed his finger under his nose, affecting a smug attitude. "What can I say? I'm just that good."

"You dork," she said, a faint smile on her face. "I'm glad you're back."

"Glad to be back," he said. "I've got a couple days' break, so I'll be sticking around before I go find the next sword. That one will probably take close to all three months; I have really nowhere to start."

"Worry about that later, Raiden," she said. "There's a reason shinobi get downtime between missions. Don't stress about your mission; take the time to relax and train."

"Yeah, okay."

"You can tell me about your mission first—how'd you pull that off?"

* * *

The break had been nice. He'd decided not to let Honoka know about the scroll, not yet—he still didn't know what shape the temple was in, and he didn't want to get her hopes up, especially if the temple had been desecrated or destroyed like so many other remnants of the Uzumaki's society.

Once the break was over, he'd left quietly, not taking anything from the mission office. He'd headed straight for the temple; Konoha was relatively close and he knew the Hokage would be able to point him to a place where he could get info—courtesy of Jiraiya, of course.

At present, though, he was wandering around the woods, looking for the temple. And then, suddenly, he found it. A run-down, broken structure, with faded, peeling paint. He was surprised it was still standing, honestly.

He ducked under a low-hanging ceiling beam and pushed aside the broken door. An activated seal provided him with a soft-glowing light source, and he was able to make out light shapes on the wall opposite the entrance. He padded closer, keeping an eye out for broken beams or sections of floor, and ended up just a couple feet from the wall. The light illuminated what had been indistinct lighter shapes, but were now masks, the light throwing sections of them into deep shadow, creating an eerie atmosphere that sent shivers up his spine. He counted the masks—twenty seven. They were all there, after all.

With a sigh of relief, he exited the building, and put up the barrier before setting a course to Konoha.

* * *

"Yo, what's up, Old Man?" Raiden exclaimed, bouncing into the Hokage's office—it had gotten to the point where Sarutobi no longer looked surprised whenever he stopped by.

"I didn't realize you were back in Konoha, Raiden," he said calmly. "Is there anything you need?"

"Yeah, actually. Do you know where I can get some good info on a nukenin?"

"Nothing immediately comes to mind. I will, however, send a message to Jiraiya—with any luck, he will respond by tomorrow morning."

"Alright, thanks Old Man!" With a smile and a thumbs-up, Raiden left the office and made his way down to Higurashi's shop. Naruto was still in training and Raiden's presence would only distract him. Satoshi, on the other hand, was fully capable of multi-tasking and he probably needed new kunai anyway.

As he walked he looked around. It was warm out; the sun was shining and there were few clouds in the sky. He much preferred Konoha's weather to Kiri's, which was, quite literally, hidden in mist that only cleared up by mid-afternoon.

He opened the door to Higurashi's shop, and a bell tinkled, announcing his presence.

"Just a moment," he heard someone say—it sounded like Higurashi.

"It's just Raiden!" He said back, a little loudly because he was pretty sure Higurashi was in the back, behind the shop. "Is Satoshi here?"

He made his way to the back of the shop and went through the door to the forge area.

"Oh, hello, Raiden," Higurashi said. "Nice to see you again."

"Always a pleasure to talk with you as well, Higurashi-san," Raiden responded in kind. The man was genial behind his gruff exterior and he never lacked for something kind to say.

"Oh, look, it's my favorite cousin," Satoshi said, walking up. "Have you finished your mission?"

"Not yet," Raiden answered. "I'm just stopping by for the night – have to restock and get some info."

"That's too bad; Naruto had a couple of jutsu he was really eager to show you when you got back. Hatake-san has been a very good teacher."

Well, whaddya know. He knew, of course, that Kakashi had meant well when he'd been his sensei but he hadn't actually taught him a lot, having his hands full with Sasuke and Sakura and having to first correct the damage the Academy had done. And Raiden was fully willing to admit that he hadn't been the best student, either. But—it was nice, what was happening now.

"He can still show me," Raiden said. "I'll just be leaving tomorrow instead of being able to stay. I've got a deadline, you know."

"Makes sense. Hey, where's Honoka?"

"The Mizukage decided I was trustworthy enough to go solo this time. Or at least, there was no sense in wasting a good ninja chaperoning me, because I'm probably not dumb enough to renege on a deal with the leader of a hidden village."

"Bummer."

"Yeah, well. It is what it is."

"Well, you're welcome to stay and watch me work," Satoshi offered. "Or you can go catch up with whoever."

"Sure. Later, then."

Satoshi went back to work, and Raiden stuck his hands in his pockets and let his feet lead the way, his mind elsewhere, until he felt a familiar chakra signature fast approaching.

"What's up, Shisui?" He asked, right as his friend materialized next to him.

"Nothing much, just came back from a mission yesterday. What are you doing back in town?"

"Info-gathering. Or trying to," he amended, frowning. "It's mostly waiting, so far."

"Well you wanna spar? Get your mind off it?"

"First one to the training ground wins!"

* * *

Of course, Shisui won—he'd kept right on Raiden's tail until he figured out just which training ground they were going to, and then his remarkable shunshin allowed him to arrive a fraction of a second before Raiden.

"All right, what are the rules?" Shisui asked. "I'm going for all-out, myself, it's more fun and a bit more challenging."

"I've got no problem with that," Raiden said. "Just say when."

Shisui pulled a kunai out of his weapons pouch and hefted it. "When this hits the ground," he said, and tossed it. It spun slowly, then picked up speed as it passed the top of the arc and began to fall. As soon as the tip of it touched the ground, they both _moved_.

Raiden created a whole slew of clones, able to do it without the hand sign, and began to kawarimi rapidly, Shisui destroying his clones as he jumped from position to position. Spars like this were the best ones; the speed of it all keeping his adrenaline up and the excitement and general _fun_ of it all were nearly tangible.

Time for some jutsu? He started to make hand seals, then—"Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

It at least got Shisui to back off for a moment. "Geez, hot! You learn that one from Honoka?"

"Better believe it!" When overpowered, the jutsu turned into more steam than mist, the extra chakra heating the water vapor released into the air. It was perfect for an Uzumaki—and perfect against an Uchiha, because it saturated the air with chakra, obscuring the Sharingan's vision.

Shisui wasn't a slouch, though, and he still had ears, and as Raiden hadn't actually mastered moving silently he was still easily detected and the fight continued. A quick but powerful futon technique spread the mist thin enough that visibility was once again passable, and they began to get into a taijutsu fight. Dodge, dodge, block, dodge, counterattack…jump back and start another round of ninjutsu.

After about an hour the two were exhausted and it was getting into later in the afternoon.

"I'm gonna head home," Raiden said. "Naruto's training gets done soon."

"Ah, I haven't seen the little guy in a while," Shisui said. "Mind if I come with?"

"Sure."

They headed through the market this time—it was a different training ground than they usually used, the other having been occupied already .

"I'm gonna be sore tomorrow," Shisui said, rolling his shoulder with a grimace. "You hit _hard_ —and you managed to get more hits in than most."

"I haven't had a good spar since I got sick," Raiden answered. "I kinda let loose a little."

"Yeah, no kidding. You've got a lot—"

"Shisui-nii?" They both turned to the voice. "What are you doing at the market?"

"Since when have you had a sister?" Raiden couldn't help but blurt out. The fact had completely blindsided him; he hadn't known about her—or even _heard_ of her—in either timeline.

"Since about seventeen years ago, dumba—"

"Shisui-kun."

"Sorry Aunt Mikoto…" Shisui said sheepishly, smiling in a trying-not-to-get-into-trouble way, one Raiden had used many times in the past. "Aunt Mikoto, Izu-chan, this is my friend Raiden Uzumaki. Raiden, this is my lovely Aunt Mikoto, and my sister Izumi."

It was still a bit surreal. Mikoto…Sasuke had definitely taken after his mother—the pale skin, blue-black hair and fine features were all hers. Izumi was a shade tanner, her hair just as dark and curly as Shisui's.

"Nice to meet you," he recited automatically.

"Uzumaki-san—"

"Raiden, please, I'm not really one for formality," he said, interrupting her.

"Raiden-san," she amended. "It's nice to finally meet you as well, nii-san has said a lot about you."

He decided to send a suspicious glance at Shisui, who hastily assured him that it was "All good things, I promise!"

Izumi started laughing, and Mikoto put a hand over her face to hide a smile.

"You and your family should come have dinner with us," Mikoto said, and the non-sequitur caught him by surprise but it was a good surprise, if a bit ill-timed.

"That sounds great," Raiden said. "It…might have to wait a while, I'm only in town for tonight; I've got a long-term mission. Satoshi and Naruto could go, though. You have a son Naruto's age, right? I bet they'd get along pretty well."

Or they would end up forming an intense rivalry. That would probably happen regardless, but Raiden hoped it would be a little more friendly this time around.

Mikoto's expression turned a little wistful. "They could be good friends," she agreed. "I would love to have them over."

"I can help figure out timing and everything," Shisui offered. "I'm going over anyways, gonna go say hi to the kiddo."

"Okay, see you at dinner, nii-san," Izumi said.

"And don't be late!" Mikoto added. "We're having katsudon."

"No way will I be late for Aunt Mikoto's katsudon!" Shisui exclaimed with a grin; his sister elbowing him promptly.

"Just go, idiot," she said. "Have fun with your friend."

"Yeah, okay, later!"

The two groups parted amicably, Izumi and Mikoto heading one way and Raiden and Shisui going the other.

"Seriously, though, we've been friends almost a year now, how have I never even heard about your sister?"

"I dunno. It's just never come up?"

Raiden shook his head; still a bit weirded out by the whole thing. By the time they made it to the Uzumaki house, Naruto was already home and was reading something, Kakashi sitting next to him, reading—was that the first Icha-Icha?

"Yo, Kakashi-san, nice book choice," he said. Kakashi scratched his cheek awkwardly, but Naruto jumped up, either not having realized someone had come in or having thought it was Satoshi.

"Raiden!"

He prepared himself for the imminent tackle and was able to keep himself from falling over upon impact.

"Wow, kiddo, you've gotten a lot stronger! Nearly pushed me back!"

"You think so?" Naruto beamed, stepping back and bouncing on the balls of his feet. "And Shisui, too! Hi!"

"Hey, Naruto, what's up?" Shisui said, ruffling Naruto's hair. Naruto attempted to swipe his hand away but Shisui was faster and Naruto just ended up ineffectually swiping at his hair with a scowl on his face.

"I was reading 'bout Mizu no Kuni 'cause Honoka's from there. Didja know it's just a buncha islands?"

"I did know that, actually," Shisui said, bemused, and Raiden laughed.

"You might get to go there sometime, Naruto, because the test genin take to become chunin is held all over the elemental nations."

"Woah, really?" Naruto's eyes were huge; they were practically sparkling with excitement. "You mean I can see where Honoka lives?"

"It's a possibility."

"That's so cool! How long 'fore I can do the chunin exams?"

"Well, you have to make genin first—that will be about five years from now, and then if you're lucky you'll be chunin about a year after that."

"Six years!" Naruto exclaimed. "That's soooooo loooong!"

"Yeah. But it's worth it, so study hard." Naruto groaned and Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile.

"All right, well I've got to go," Shisui said. "No way I'm missing katsudon."

"Well it's nice to know our friendship falls to food," Raiden said jokingly. "Later!"

* * *

"What's the verdict, Hokage-sama?" Raiden said, bouncing into the Old Man's office early the next morning.

"Ah, Raiden. Excellent timing; I've just received word back from Jiraiya; apparently there is a good place for information to the north. He's wanting to meet you there."

Deep breath.

"Right. Okay. Where am I meeting him?" Raiden asked.

The Hokage pulled out a map. "It's here, just about half the distance from Konoha to the border."

He studied the map a while longer, committing it to memory. "All right. Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Raiden." He turned back, having been heading towards the door.

"Yeah?"

"You should tell him."

His eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion.

"I'll…I'll think about it."

He headed back home to say goodbye, fist-bumping Satoshi and ruffling Naruto's hair after he'd tackled him; giving a friendly wave to Kakashi as they passed each other at the door.

"Bye guys. See you later, hopefully not before too long."

Farewells were passed around —or rather, see you laters, because there was no way he was gonna let himself get killed on the mission—and left.

Traveling to the rendezvous with Jiraiya was fairly par for the course—walk during the day, find an inn or camp out at night. With chakra-assisted travel, it was less than a week before he arrived.

As he suspected, the town was a little looser in morals, with several onsen and a nearly equal number of brothels. He sighed, and stopped in front of one.

He'd have to go around back if he wanted to find Jiraiya; the front entrance was reserved for customers only and by using the back entrance he was clearly communicating he wasn't there for pleasure but rather business.

He knocked on the back door and it opened just moments after. It was a younger woman who answered, and Raiden made sure to speak sincerely.

"Ah, nee-chan, can you help me? I'm looking for my uncle."

The woman's suspicious expression cleared. "I might be able to."

"He's really tall – taller than me and you, nee-chan – and he's got white hair, and two red lines going down from his eyes."

"I think I've seen him," she said. "Does he have a big scroll on his back?"

"That's the one!" Raiden exclaimed.

"He walked into the bar across the street, just a short way down. It's called Feng's."

"Thank you very much, nee-chan," he said, bowing, and handed her a few small bills. "For your time."

She awarded him with a quick smile, which he returned, then headed on to the building she'd seen Jiraiya enter. It was a combination restaurant-bar; he _really_ hoped Jiraiya wasn't super-drunk—or, actually, maybe not—if he was drunk it might be easier for him to interact. Or maybe he himself should get drunk first—or at least a little buzzed.

He entered and almost immediately his attention was drawn by loud, gregarious laughter, coming from a man in the corner. Jiraiya. His cheeks were flushed red with drink (and, possibly, perversion—there were two others sitting on either side of him, both women) and Raiden decided that getting some alcohol in his system might at least partially numb the pain of his bittersweet memories.

He made his way up to the bar and sat down on an available stool.

"Can I get some shochu?"

"Cup or bottle?"

"Bottle."

It wasn't really that reckless; jinchuuriki had a higher base alcohol tolerance than most and chakra, when active, just helped burn through it faster. He knocked down the first few cups and wiped his mouth, not really caring about how rude he was being.

He was just about to drain another cup when he saw movement in his peripheral vision. He turned slightly to see better and nearly dropped his cup; Jiraiya had sat down right next to him.

"So you're the punk who got himself in trouble, huh?" Jiraiya's tone was a little cool, a little wary; it lacked the warmth Raiden had grown accustomed to hearing and that was what hurt the most.

He set his cup down and cleared his throat.

"I, uh…yeah. Hokage-jii sent me over, I need some info about—"

"About one of the swords from Kirigakure, correct? Which one are you after currently, Shibuki? Or is it Samehada?"

Well. "Shibuki."

"Be glad I met you here, then. Shibuki's up north, last I heard – not sure what happened to Akebino but someone else has it and they holed up in Tetsu no Kuni."

Raiden hid his hands under the counter—they were trembling slightly. "Why are you helping me so much?" He blurted. Maybe the alcohol wasn't a great help after all. But he needed to know. "I can hear it in your voice—you don't trust me. So why are you helping me?"

Jiraiya's expression was grave, something that didn't happen often. He sighed and leaned forward, turning to look away. "I could say it's because Sensei asked me to. But in actuality? I suppose it's because you remind me of someone. A few someones, actually. As soon as I saw you, I knew who you were. Right, Uzumaki-kun?"

And the Old Man's suggestion jumped to the front of his thoughts.

" _You should tell him_."

"Yeah, I'm Uzumaki-kun all right. But you don't know who I am, not really, not yet. And I can't tell you here. But – thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

Jiraiya watched him quizzically but didn't press the issue, for which Raiden was grateful. He'd tell him when they were in a less public area, when they were in a place protected with privacy seals.

"Okay, kid, I'll listen. But for now – you need to lighten up. We're gonna finish this bottle, got it?"

"I – yeah. Got it." He was smiling now, feeling a little better, a little less tense. They made conversation, swapped jokes and laughter, and it almost felt like he was fifteen again, like he was back on the training trip, like it was okay for him to stop worrying for a moment.

And then the bottle was empty and they left the bar and headed to a more secure area, where Raiden set up his privacy seals.

They sat on the floor opposite each other and Raiden started talking.

"Seals are crazy," he said, not really in a state of mind to explain things linearly or logically. "And I found one in Uzushiogakure when I visited. And it was a space-time seal. But more about time, you know? And so – I'm actually Naruto, but I go by Raiden now 'cause Naruto's still in Konoha and he's only seven, but I left Satoshi with him so he should be good—"

"Wait. What?" Shock was written all over Jiraiya's face and Raiden started laughing.

"I should probably explain, right?"

" _Yes_ , you should probably explain! You're Naruto? And time jutsu? Uzushiogakure? And who is Satoshi?!"

"Some stuff happened in the future. So I went on a trip for a while, and ended up in the ruins of Uzushio. And I found this seal, right? And it was a time travel seal – I'm actually from the future. And Satoshi is another Uzumaki I met, and he's in Konoha now living with Naruto because he wasn't being looked after properly – and oh yeah, Nagato and them say hi—"

"Nagato! And them – Yahiko and Konan?"

"Yeah, I don't know if you heard but they're the new leaders of Ame – but anyway there was a problem with Kurama and he was absorbed by the other Kurama in Naruto? And so I was really sick for a while and ended up having to seal Isobu in myself but I got caught by Kiri and so I promised to get the swords back for them as well as Utakata so…now I'm looking for Shibuki."

"Well, kiddo…? You're nuts. Absolutely crazy." Raiden gritted his teeth. That was reassuring. "But I can't help but believe you anyway. I'll help you, kid. Just tell me what you need."

* * *

 **AN: Man. I've been crazy busy with art classes and online classes and I just got a job so my free time has been reduced to basically Friday morning and Saturday afternoon. And drawing and naps take up a lot of that time…**

 **And thanks to PhantasmagoricalAsshole for pointing out that my line breaks disappeared!**


	15. Chapter 15: Swords III

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

He slept surprisingly well that night; emotional turmoil was always exhausting. He was groggy in the morning, too; the effects of the precious night's alcohol making itself known. It wasn't anything more than slight nausea and a headache, but it was uncomfortable nonetheless, and he didn't want to really do anything besides go back to sleep.

Unfortunately, the man who's room he's stayed in the previous night disagreed.

"Up and at 'em, kid, you got a lot to do today!" Jiraiya said, pulling off the blanket Raiden had been trying to pull up over his head. "Go make yourself presentable."

Raiden groaned but did what he said; Jiraiya was right and a hot shower would probably make him feel better.

"And don't take too long; breakfast's on me."

He moved a bit faster after that; free food wasn't something so easily dismissed. Even if it was crappy bar food.

So he showered quickly, dressed, and went to the nearest food place, which happened to be just downstairs. It was actually decent, in his opinion—the place was clean, and the food was good, enough that the amount he ate caused a look of dismay on Jiraiya's face.

"Geez, kid, where do you put it all?"

Raiden just shrugged and stretched his arms and shoulders reveling in the feeling of a full stomach.

"I guess this is where we part ways for a while, right oji-san?"

"Yeah, kid," Jiraiya answered him. Setting a heavy hand on his shoulder. "But don't think it's the last you'll see of me. Once this is all over and done with, I'll see you in Konoha."

"You got it!" Raiden said. "I'll see you there, in just a few months."

"I'll hold you to that, kid," Jiraiya said. And the hand went from his shoulder to his head and ruffled his hair. It was childish but he grinned all the same; he'd never truly been able to be a child so moments like this he treasured.

They turned their separate ways—Raiden south, Jiraiya west—and on to their next destinations, wherever they might be.

In Raiden's case, it was Tetsu no Kuni—the place where he'd confronted the Raikage, here Sakura had falsely confessed to him, where Tobi had revealed the truth behind the massacre of Sasuke's clan. Needless to say, the place didn't hold many good memories for him.

Maybe this trip would help him make some (at the very least) not-awful memories, to help dilute the really bad ones.

It was starting to get colder, thought, despite it still being summer. The difference in latitude, along with the increase in altitude, made the air much cooler than it would have been otherwise, and it was cold enough that his usual clothing was no longer comfortable.

So into his vast store of random stuff he went, looking through it all to find warmer clothes. There was a heavier coat in there, and he put it on and zipped it all the way up. It was pretty nice, actually—the inside was soft, and the outside was a stiff material that seemed to be waterproof, and could probably act as a secondary defense against smaller weapons.

The collar, since it was all the way zipped, came up over his mouth and he hunched his shoulders to make it go higher; it now came to just below his eyes and he smiled. It didn't have a hood, but as long as it didn't snow he didn't mind.

His trousers were okay, but the sandals would be an issue. Tramping around in snow did no favors for his toes, especially if they were exposed.

He knew he didn't have any other boots, though; the one pair he'd owned he'd long since grown out of. He'd have to buy a new pair soon; there was no telling how long he'd be in Tetsu no Kuni.

His hunt for appropriate footwear began at the next village he stopped at, and he was lucky enough to bump into an old man whose son had outgrown a pair of boots which were somewhat worn but still in good condition. He'd repaid the farmer by etching small waterproofing and durability seals in the corners of his home, which were greatly appreciated, as well as warming seals, which the old man nearly worshipped him for, even though Raiden had told him the seals would only last for about two years.

He moved through town after town after that, surreptitiously collecting information. It lead him to a larger town on a mountainside. It was snowing lightly, but not really enough to bother him, as it wasn't wet snow but a light powder. It was still relatively early—he'd woken up early for whatever reason and had decided to get going—and the town was quiet, the streets still fairly empty.

At least until someone called out a familiar name.

"Satoshi!"

Raiden turned—he knew it was probably wasn't his Satoshi, as despite his wanderings there was no way that Satoshi, as a civilian, could have traveled such a distance in the time he'd been gone but he turned anyway.

It was a middle-aged man. Burly, fairly tall, with dark hair and pale skin. He came closer, then looked confused and slightly apologetic.

"Sorry about that, sir," he said. "Your hair—I mistook you for my son. His is the same color, you see."

 _What?_

"Do you mean Satoshi Uzumaki?" Raiden asked, beginning to get excited. The man nodded.

"Yes, that's him."

"I know Satoshi!," Raiden said, smiling. "He's in Konoha; we have a cousin there who's little and he's got a job as a blacksmith's apprentice. He's doing well."

Satoshi's father smiled, placing a hand over his chest. "That's a relief. I haven't heard from him, so it's good to know he's doing well." He paused. "I'm Daichi, by the way."

"And my name is Raiden Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Another Uzumaki?" Daichi's eyes were wide. "I thought Satoshi was the last!"

"There's actually quite a few of us," Raiden said. "It's just —the diaspora was so chaotic, there are many survivors who believe themselves to be the only ones. I know there's more of us out there, and I won't rest until I've found them all!"

Raiden ended his impassioned rant a bit sheepishly, and Daichi clapped him on the back.

"I'm glad Satoshi met a guy like you, Raiden. I can assure that there aren't any other Uzumaki up in Tetsu no Kuni, so that should save you some time." He really liked Satoshi's dad.

"That's, um, I'm actually here for something else; I got myself into a bit of a situation and I have to find a sword. Though it's not so much a sword as a wedge of metal with exploding tags all over it. I think the person currently in possession of it is female."

Daichi frowned. "I think I've seen her. Nice-looking lady, but carryin' around some giant thing on her back. A bit odd, it was."

"Really?" _What a breakthrough!_ "How long ago was that?"

"I think Tuesday? Or maybe Monday…well, at the very least it was no more than three days ago. She was going east; didn't look like there was anyone else traveling with her."

"Thank you, so much," Raiden said. Honestly, that was the best lead he'd gotten so fat, despite the confusion about the day. It had confirmed that the current possession of the Shibuki was female, but he also now knew she was carrying it on her back, which would make it that easier to identify her and it. In addition to that, he knew approximately how far she could have gone, and in which direction. "I have to go, but I'll try to swing by here again on my way back."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Daichi said, a knowing look on his face, and clapped him on the back again, a little harder this time, which made him stagger. With a smile and a wave, he took off to the east, determined to catch up to the Shibuki.

Once out of sight of the village, he channeled some nature chakra and began to run; his speed while in sage mode was accelerated to nearly twice that of a regular shinobi's traveling pace. So when he arrived at the next village, which was about two days away, he found that he was only a single day behind the Shibuki and its current wielder.

He had to change direction, though, apparently she'd turned half-south—heading towards Yugakure, maybe?

The next-closest village he reached the next day, and his sage-enhanced sensing assured him that he'd finally gotten where he needed to be; the Shibuki was definitely in the area. Of course, he was basing that off the fact that there was a chakra signature that was active and much larger than the average civilian. There was a chance it could be a completely separate nukenin, but that would be a very bad thing.

He had to make sure. He'd have to get within seeing distance to confirm whether or not it truly was the Shibuki, but he'd obviously have to let go of the nature chakra—he couldn't walk around an obviously civilian town with blue lines contouring his face while exuding nearly tangible chakra.

So it was back to the tried-and-true method of transformed shadow clones. He honestly wondered if he shouldn't have been put in ANBU but then dismissed the idea—he'd been way too brash pre-war and his morals wouldn't allow it. He dropped out of sage mode and trudged the rest of the way to the village, then surreptitiously hopped onto one of the roofs. He laid on his stomach to conceal himself—to stabilize himself too; the roofs were slippery with the snow—and began to create clones, one after another, who transformed themselves into birds and squirrels; whatever they could to deflect suspicion.

And then he waited. It was the worst part of any mission, especially for him—his naturally-high chakra reserves and stamina made him restless when he wasn't able to burn off his excess energy. He supposed it was a good thing—it meant he was well and truly recovered—but it made times like this more stressful than they had to be.

But with as many clones as he was putting out it was less than a half-hour before he got a mental image of a surprisingly young woman with fair skin and dark, curly hair. The most striking thing about her, however, was the massive wrapped bundle on her back. Too bad for her seal masters were so rare—if she'd had access to one she could have sealed the sword away—but it was good for him, at least.

Since it was still only about mid-morning, the village was alive with noise and activity. Confronting a nukenin with such a dangerous and near-legendary weapon at that moment would be the height of foolishness. Better to lay low and take it at a time when collateral damage would be minimized. He had enough time until his deadline that he felt secure in waiting a day or two to see if he could corner her outside the village, where the risk of involving or injuring a civilian was minimal.

He decided to lay low and keep an eye on her with a handful of shadow clones, releasing most of the ones that he'd formed to find her in the first place. That done, he went off to explore the village. Once off the roof, he took a moment just to appreciate his surroundings. It was a beautiful day; the air was crisp and clean and cold but the sun's warmth cut the chill enough to be comfortable.

As he started to walk around he realized it was more of a town than a village; it was a lot bigger than he'd previously expected. He wondered what the main industry of the town was—there really wasn't much they could farm with snow being on the ground three-quarters of the year and most animals were actually pretty fragile. But his question was answered as he paused at an intersection to watch a herd of goats cross the street. And then, as he wandered further, he came across a tunnel carved into the mountainside, buttressed by wooden beams.

It was a mining town. He supposed the country had to have gotten its name somehow. He almost wanted to go explore it, but he didn't really know anything about mines and didn't want to cause an accident. Not only would it draw attention to him, but he'd feel awful if anything happened. So wandered off to somewhere else—this time definitely a food place; it was past noon now and he was hungry.

He walked around until he smelled something really good and followed his nose to the source of it. I was a building, a little larger than the houses he'd seen. He went in and inhaled deeply through his nose, causing his stomach to grumble. It smelled delicious.

The inside of the building was pretty simple—there was a central area that had a stove, and a counter wrapped around it. The rest of the floor space was taken up by tables set close together. He maneuvered his way through the tables, most of which were empty, and went up to the counter.

"You're new around here," the boy at the counter asked. "You're lucky you came when you did; the mine workers start their lunch really soon and you'd have had to wait for a really long time. But since we're already prepping anyway the food will be ready a lot faster too. Anyway, we're selling rabbit bowls today; we had good luck with traps and it's always nice to have something besides goat."

"Any food sounds great at this point, honestly, and the sooner the better." His stomach growled again, a lot louder this time, and the boy laughed, and handed him a slightly-steaming bowl of meat and rice, for which he gladly paid.

"Thank you for the food," he said, and dug in. He didn't know whether it was the cold, or how hungry he was, or however they'd cooked it but that rabbit bowl was the most delicious rabbit he'd ever eaten. Once the bowl was empty he set it back down on the counter, chopsticks laid neatly across the top.

"Thanks again," he said. "It was delicious."

"It was my pleasure, it's always nice to have people that like what you make!"

"Don't I know it," Raiden said. "I better get going. Later, kid."

Meal finished, he left the small restaurant. Without other ideas on how to kill time, he headed to the woods nearby. He could restock there; he could make as many seal tags as he needed without being detected or interrupted. Food was something he was running low on (if you didn't count ration bars) but the people here had a hard enough time getting food as it was and he didn't want to deplete their resources further. He could survive on ration bars for a while.

It was a couple hours later that he emerged, having erased all traces of himself from the clearing he'd inhabited for the past couple hours. The sky was growing darker, and he knew his target would be moving soon if she decided not to stay in the town for the night. His clone hadn't popped, but it would probably be better if he kept a personal watch for her anyway.

That in mind, he headed into the town again, meandering around until he could hop onto a roof discretely. From there he stretched out his chakra and touched two different sources—his own, from the clone, and a smaller, but still active chakra. He swapped with his clone and let it disperse, taking a moment to process the memories.

It seemed as if she was planning to leave the town after all, even before he'd purposely let out that bit of chakra while sensing to spook her. After all, it would be much easier to recover the Shibuki while away from a civilian population, for various reasons.

Not the least of which was that it allowed him to avoid possible distractions, letting him focus fully on his appointed task. His target began to walk briskly towards the east entrance of the town and he followed, making only minimal efforts to hide his presence. The worse he did here, after purposely allowing her to notice him, would put him in a better position later; it would hopefully lead her to underestimate him.

He followed her out of the town's entrance and into the woods, where the air hung heavy, visibility low. It was impossible to stay silent, as well, what with the snow and the thick underbrush.

No matter; he had sage mode and war-honed instincts to help him overcome the visibility problem, and as long as she could hear him he would be able to hear her as well.

Once he'd activated sage mode he decided to really switch stealth for speed and caught up to his target quickly. In her haste she'd been unable to prepare any traps in the surrounding area—information memories from his clone had confirmed—so jumped in close with the frog kumite and engaged in close combat.

She was carrying a kunai, at least, but then so was he—in a swift movement he withdrew one from his pouch and spun it into a reverse grip in time to block her first wild swing. The block twisted smoothly into an arm lock and his elbow caught her temple, knocking her out.

It was easier than he'd thought it would be; whoever had had the sword previously must have been incapacitated or greatly weakened when she obtained it. With a sigh he slung her up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. There was a chance he could get a bounty for her upon his return to Kiri, though it would perhaps be more merciful to kill her then.

First, though: Daichi had promised him a nice, home-cooked meal whenever he came back so that was his first stop. Using sage mode—the benefits were practically endless and he knew he probably overused it but it was so useful—he ran for two day and two nights straight and part of a third, until he'd made it back to Daichi's village. Where he was, in fact, treated to a delicious breakfast (he'd hidden his prisoner just outside of town, a seal keeping her in stasis). For the rest of the day he mostly just slept, catching up from the past couple days.

He woke up in the later afternoon and showered and changed, by which time Daichi had come back home.

"How did it go?" Daichi asked, curious. Raiden recalled he'd mentioned the sword, but hadn't said much else.

"I found her, all right, and I managed to get the sword back easily enough." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Do you want to see it?"

Daichi's eyes were wide. "It's a very special sword, isn't it?" he asked, to which Raiden nodded.

"One of the Seven Swords of Kiri, the Shibuki." He unsealed it from his belt—there was no way he was going to carry it on his back as well; the kunoichi was cumbersome enough—and laid it out gently on the floor.

Daichi unwrapped it almost reverently and ran his hands over the metal.

"It's beautifully crafted," he said. "May not look like much, and the shape is very unique, but the metalworking is amazing."

It wasn't something Raiden had ever really thought about; in his mind the blades were just means to an end. And the Nuibari had just made him slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't something he'd ever want to go up against if he could help it. He cleared his throat, and with great reluctance Daichi re-wrapped it, and he sealed it away again.

"I made extra food, if you'd like some before you leave," the older man said, heading into the kitchen. "You have to go soon, don't you?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he said. "But food would be much appreciated."

Daichi handed him a bowl of rice, and some fried pork, and he scarfed it down.

"You see Satoshi often, do you?" Daichi asked, suddenly.

"Fairly often, yes," Satoshi said, interrupted from his food.

"Could you… give him this?" he held out a small package, about book-sized. Raiden put his bowl down, now empty, and reached out and took it gently.

"I will," he promised. "And I never go back on my word."

"Thank you," Daichi said, gratitude coloring his words. "And good luck."

"Thanks, oji-san," Raiden said. "For everything."

* * *

Having focused solely on a swift return, by the time he made it to Kiri he was about ready to sleep for a week. At the end of each retrieval he was exhausted, either mentally or physically or both. But he had to last just a couple more hours for a debriefing with Zabuza—that was _still_ weird—and then he could shower, eat, and crash. But first—

He downed a soldier pill, grimacing as his tired muscles spasmed briefly. That probably wasn't good. But it would keep him alert for the next few hours, and that was what he needed. He slowed to a brisk walk as he entered the village proper, not wanting to use up the burst of energy too quickly.

As he arrived at the Mizukage's office, people started to stare—most likely because he'd unsealed the Shibuki and was carrying it on his back, as well as the thief over his shoulder. As it was, he encountered no difficulty getting an audience with Zabuza. And Mei, apparently, which was interesting; had it been just the two of them together? He was able to disguise his laugh (really, it was such an absurd prospect, he couldn't not) as a cough but wasn't fully able to conceal the smirk that had found its way onto his face.

"What?" Zabuza asked, tone gruff.

"Nothing, nothing~" he sing-songed. Zabuza scowled, but Raiden saw Mei put a hand in front of her mouth, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

Perhaps it was Mei's implicit amusement, or perhaps it was his slight lack of common sense due to his simultaneous exhaustion and energy high, but he decided to pursue the topic further.

"…Or is it something?" He winked and Zabuza glared; Raiden took a step back and glanced at Mei, hoping for support—who was, he was pleasantly surprised to see, was trembling slightly with suppressed laughter. Zabuza looked over too, and his fingers went up to massage the bridge of his nose. And suddenly his intimidation factor was down to almost nothing.

"Just report, Uzumaki," Zabuza growled, sounding entirely fed up.

Raiden grinned. "I got it, I got it." He dropped the smile, turning more serious. "Long story short, I tracked the Shibuki up Tetsu no Kuni, where this woman," He paused again, this time to set the woman down on an unoccupied chair. "Minimal combat, almost no collateral damage. After I captured her I pretty much came straight back."

He slung the Shibuki off his back and set it gently on top of the stacks of paper occupying Zabuza's desk. He unwrapped it, too, to prove its authenticity.

"Good job, Uzumaki. Go get some sleep; it would be too much of a hassle if you passed out in here. Written report and briefing for the next mission will happen a full week from now."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama," he said, knowing it wouldn't be long before the energy from the soldier pill ran out. "Bye, Terumi-san."

* * *

"It's such a shame to just let the sanbi roam free," Mei said wistfully, a moment after the door had closed behind the Uzumaki boy. "But it can't be helped. And I rather like him."

Zabuza grimaced. He agreed with everything she'd said."It is. But we both know the consequences of pursuing it. We would end up another Uzushiogakure."

"And I suppose the sanbi has never brought us fortune. Better to have it loosely allied, rather than under our direct control; perhaps that will spare us the misfortune."

"It seems to be working out so far," Zabuza conceded. "Six of the seven swords are now in our possession. That alone increases morale and strength. And with the imminent return of both Samehada and Utakata…"

He trailed off and slumped in his chair, suddenly exhausted despite the fact that the day was less than halfway over.

"You're the one who should have become Mizukage, not me. I'm not cut out for all this politicking."

"Maybe so," Mei said, coming closer. "But you do have to consider reputation. You were the leader of the rebellion; you were the one to finally kill Yagura. Compared to that, what did I do?"

"That's ridiculous, we both know you were an integral part of our strategy—"

"Zabuza, we both know not everyone is privy to all the information about what happened. And if they did, do you think they would support me as Mizukage? Someone who killed at least a hundred shinobi loyal to the Mist?"

"Mei, I have just as much blood on my hands—"

"If you're referring to your graduation, that can be excused. You were a child then, and you've ended that practice now and killed the one responsible for it. You've redeemed yourself." She paused, a sardonic smile on her face. "Besides, there's one difference between us that has an incredible impact on why you became Mizukage."

"And what's that?" He asked. "My lack of a bloodline limit?"

She laughed. "While that did help appease those from the previous regime, it's not what I was thinking."

"What, then?"

"You're a man. I'm not."

He'd closed his eyes during the course of their conversation but now he cracked one eye open and _looked_ at her.

"You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head. "I'm not."

"That's ridiculous. If we were to seriously fight I'd be dead inside of five minutes."

"I'm flattered you think so," she said, now running her fingers through his hair. "On a change of subject, however, we should probably take care of the unconscious kunoichi sooner rather than later."

"…Right."

* * *

Honoka didn't know why she even bothered being surprised anymore, honestly. It wasn't like she was expecting Raiden to be snoring softly on the spare futon, wearing only a t-shirt and boxers. His jacket, pants, and another shirt and pair of shorts were hanging from a clothes pole hanging out the opposite window, and his belt was rolled up next to his pillow.

She slipped her shoes off—those were his sandals, all right, the bottoms were caked with mud—and went into the kitchen. There was a note on the counter.

 _Didn't feel like cooking so I brought home some food. There's leftover in the fridge_.

He'd signed it with a doodle of himself making a peace sign. She couldn't help but smile; it was just like him.

* * *

"Something has changed. We need to move our plans forward," he said. His eight chosen stood in front of him, assembled in a loose semicircle. One stepped forward and spoke.

"Madara-sama, are you sure? We've been waiting so long, surely we can wait just until whatever it is has passed?"

"Are you questioning me, Tobi?"

"No, Madara-sama."

"My recruitment of Nagato Uzumaki failed because of that other Uzumaki brat. He's been spending time around the nine-tails jinchuuriki as well. And most recently, I heard he was collecting Kiri's seven swords, which degrades the progress we made into its destabilization. I should have wiped out _all_ the Uzumaki when I had the chance."

The ancient shinobi paused, surveying his soldiers with a gimlet eye.

"Kisame," he said suddenly. "Samehada is that last of the seven blades outside of Kirigakure's possession. The Uzumaki boy will, no doubt, come after you. When he does, kill him.

"Zetsu. I need you to find him. Find out everything you can about him. Sample his chakra, if you can.

"As for you, Tobi, you will be partnered with Kisame until I have proof of that boy's death in front of me."

"Yes, Madara-sama," he said, sullen. Tobi had to be handled more delicately; despite his prodigious abilities his mental maturity was not up to what Madara had hoped for.

"You will not just be bait, Tobi, Kisame; you will also be making progress towards our original goal: collecting the bijuu. Currently, the most vulnerable are the rokubi and the nanabi. Retrive them."

"Yes, Madara-sama," Kisame and Tobi echoed, and left—Kisame's projected image fizzling out while Tobi dissolved into a Kamui.

"For the rest of you," he said, "we need to retrieve something precious from Amegakure's new leader, Nagato Uzumaki."

"And what's that?" Deidara asked, brash as always.

"His eyes," Danzou stated simply. "He is the bearer of the Rinnegan, is he not?"

"I think it would be more impressive and less disgusting if I knew what the Rinnegan actually was, yeah?" Deidara asked again; full of impertinence.

"You know of the Sharingan, do you not?" Kakuzu asked. "It contains more power than even the most evolved form of that dojutsu."

"Kakuzu is correct. The Rinnegan will enable us to combine the power of the bijuu and is necessary to become the ultimate power in this world," he summarized.

"Besides Jashin-sama! But then again, he isn't really of _this_ world, exactly…"

"Thank you, Hidan. Back to the original topic, now: in order to successfully retrieve the Rinnegan, it will take meticulous planning, and even more 'backstage work' now that our original plans have been upset. Here is where we will begin…"

* * *

 **AN: This story is still alive! Sorry for the wait, guys. I'm currently juggling a part-time job, and internship, and 14 credits worth of classes and my free time is a bit more sparse than I have been accustomed to in the past. But hey, things are starting to pick up in this chapter, so that's exciting.**


	16. Chapter 16: Kiri Interlude

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Honoka was beginning to get worried by the end of the next day, as he was still asleep. But she knew he had a habit of overworking himself, and he looked okay, so she let him sleep. Her worry grew when she went out to train the morning after that and told herself that if he hadn't woken up by the time she came home she'd drag him to the hospital, still in his boxers or not.

Fortunately, by the time she came home after a day of distracted training, Raiden was sitting on her floor, the spare futon neatly folded in the corner. She smiled; his hair was sticking up on one side like he'd just woken up, and thankfully he'd put his pants back on. As a kunoichi she was accustomed to a certain disregard for modesty (some missions made it impossible) but she'd rather not see anyone partially undressed if she could help it, especially not if they were related.

He had paper scattered around him, some scrolls and some just loose sheets. She thought they were all seal schematics, but they were either extremely abstracted or extremely complicated and she couldn't make sense of them. Not without more time and a closer look.

She didn't think he'd actually noticed her come in; he was too busy working on whatever it was. She was glad to note the pile of ration bar wrappers and the half-full cup of water next to him. At least he was rehydrating and feeding himself.

She headed to the bathroom for a shower; no sense in interrupting him when he was so focused. Especially with fuinjutsu; unless you got to a good stopping point it was extremely difficult to start up where you left off.

Hot showers were good for relaxing, and she definitely needed that after being on edge the whole day. She stayed in longer than usual, letting the water massage her shoulders and wash the tension away. When her fingers began to look like sea sponge she turned the water off and got dressed. By that time she was fairly hungry and headed for the kitchen area to make some food.

"Oh, hi, Honoka!" Raiden said, as soon as she walked in. "When did you get back?"

"Close to half an hour ago," she estimated. "You were a little preoccupied."

"Oh, yeah. I have a jutsu I'm trying to learn but it's really complicated. I've got the formula here but I still have to decode some of the matrices because they've been compressed."

"Sounds exhausting," she commented.

"To my head, yes," he replied. "But my body is getting the rest it needs so it's fine."

"Makes sense. I'm going to make some food, do you want any?"

"Yes, please," he said fervently. "Ration bars might function as a meal replacement but I missed a few more than was probably okay and the bars don't fill you up at all. Not to mention the taste." He shuddered in exaggerated horror. "Nasty."

"I guess it's a good thing I bought groceries yesterday," she said. "How do you feel about stir-fry?"

" _Yes_ ," he said emphatically, and she'd swear she saw drool at the corner of his mouth.

"Help me cut up the vegetables, then, it'll be ready sooner," she suggested, and handed him a knife with which he promptly saluted her.

She rolled her eyes. What had she been worried for? It was _Raiden_ they were talking about, he was irrepressible.

"So how long are you here for?" she asked, her question competing with the rhythmic clack of the knives hitting the counter.

"I'm not sure, actually, I get a week break before debriefing—"

"Five days now, actually, you were sleeping for two."

"Five days until I turn in the written report and get the debrief for the next retrieval. Although I already know the generals." She glanced over at him to see his expression turn somewhat troubled. "I need to prepare." He paused, then added, uncharacteristically serious:

"You should train, too." He then smiled again. "Can't let me get too far ahead, y'know."

"Uh-huh. Just remember whose apartment it is you're staying at, and whose food you want to eat."

"Right. Got it."

"Speaking of, are those veggies chopped yet?"

* * *

"Here's the written report, Zabuza-sama," he said, holding out a thin sheaf of papers. Of course, he didn't mention that a shadow clone had written the entire thing the previous day. In his defense, he'd finally gotten a breakthrough on the Hiraishin; he'd managed to fully expand the fuin script into the full formula. From there he could finally calibrate it to his own chakra, re-compress it, and then start to actually practice it.

There was something different about the office, though… "Where's Terumi-san?"

"It's none of your business where Mei is. It's time for your debriefing. Tell me what you already know about this blade."

Hmm, touchy subject? Very well.

"The last sword is known as Samehada because of its rough, scale-like appearance. It eats chakra, and can grow bigger depending on how much it eats. The current wielder is Kisame Hoshigaki, also known as the Tailless Tailed Beast because of his massive amount of chakra. He is believed to be traveling with an accomplice," Raiden rattled off. He wasn't going to tell Zabuza everything he knew, of course; that would only make him suspicious. But he did want to look informed.

"Impressive, Uzumaki-kun. However, there are a few things you should know before I let you go after him. First: Samehada is at least partially sentient. Do not attempt to wield it. Second: Kisame and Samehada have the ability to fuse together. Do not, under any circumstances, allow that to happen; it could decrease your chances of recovering the blade significantly. Third: because Kisame has universally achieved S-rank status, this will be a team mission. You may choose candidates—three, minimum—who must then be approved by myself."

Raiden nodded; he knew all of what Zabuza had shared regarding Kisame. He was glad for the backup, though; that was something he'd hoped for but not expected.

"I'll expect you back here in two days to present your candidates."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

"Get going, kid."

He left the office already contemplating who he wanted on his team. In his past future, it was Gai who'd worn Kisame down to the point where he'd been captured—taijutsu didn't have chakra that could be absorbed. So taijutsu would be a big part of the strategy, and if he could recruit a swordsman as well—

The swordsman, of course, would have to be Mangetsu Hozuki. He was the only one capable of wielding any of the Seven Swords, which would be needed in a match with another of the legendary swords. The Hiramekarei, however, required chakra in order to change its shape, so one of the other blades would work better. The one that would probably work best, actually, was the Kubikiriboucho, but getting Zabuza to give that up would be a chore.

As for the taijutsu specialist, he had one in mind already. Fuyumi, one of Honoka's friends. She didn't hit quite as hard as Gai but she was just as fast, and she had a way of getting around her opponents' defenses and hitting their most vulnerable points. And that was just what he'd observed from sparring; he had no doubt that she had several tricks he'd not seen.

The fourth person would act mostly as support, and he figured Honoka would be the best fit. Not only was she a highly-ranked generalist, but she worked well with them relationship-wise. There was no love lost between himself and Hozuki but Honoka was friendly with pretty much everyone in Kiri; she'd be able to pull the team together.

There was just one slight problem. In the past future Kisame had been traveling with Itachi. But due to his actions, Itachi was still in Konoha. When Kisame had finally been taken down by Gai and Yamato he'd been on his own but that was only because at that point Itachi had already been died during his fight with Sasuke. There was a chance that at present, Kisame wouldn't have a partner, but he thought it equally likely that he would. The problem was, who would it be?

" _There is no sense in needless speculation,"_ Raiden heard, and jumped; the voice had been completely unexpected. And there was nobody really around him, either, so…

" _Isobu?"_ He thought, tentative.

" _That is correct, ningen."_ Raiden smiled slightly. It was the first time Isobu had spoken to him on his own initiative. _"Such doubt cannot lead you to accomplish your goal and therefore must be set aside."_

"… _Thank you."_ He took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts to the back of his head. He was still going to train—he had a few days left, he could figure out the Hiraishin by then, right?

He walked back to Honoka's place—he'd been severely tempted to just send a shadow clone to turn in the report and get debriefed, but figured that could possibly be construed as insulting and decided against it. There wasn't too much more work he had to do before he could start practicing, just attuning the jutsu to his own chakra and recompressing the formula so to protect it from jutsu thieves. It had the added bonus of, when compressed, fitting on a kunai hilt as long as the seal tag was wrapped around.

Thinking about that, actually—he should make sure to prime it for sage chakra, too. Because when he was in sage or bijuu mode his chakra was denser, heavier; a slightly different flavor and texture, so to speak. He'd have to include that in his calculations and do them separately. He could even do separate batches of kunai, actually.

For now, though, he'd stick to just tags primed for his own natural chakra. Best not to use nature chakra or bijuu chakra, especially when he didn't really have a good handle on the second yet. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself while practicing, and using either of those would _definitely_ draw attention.

He'd set a couple shadow clones on it, anyway, at least to do the calculations. He'd have to practice it later. The rest of the day passed in a kind of blur, like the last few days, adjust and readjusting the seal so it would react properly to his chakra. Finally he got it to react how he wanted and stood up and stretched.

"Making good progress?" Honoka asked.

"You bet," he affirmed with a nod. "I think at this point the only thing really left to do it recompress it and then it's practice."

"And how did the briefing go?"

He snapped his fingers. "Right, that—you wanna help me take down Kisame? Zabuza informed me I'll be taking a team."

"I—well, of course I'll help you, Raiden. Who else is on the team?"

"Hozuki and Fuyumi, as long as they both agree."

"They probably will," Honoka said, looking thoughtful. "Hozuki-san will most likely agree as a matter of pride, and, well…" She trailed off and made an interesting face. "You don't have to worry about her."

"All right. You want to ask her tomorrow then? I'll get Hozuki on board."

"…Sure."

* * *

As it turned out, Hozuki was a difficult guy to find. Raiden's quest took him most of the morning but he finally caught up with him at around eleven.

"Hey, Hozuki!" He called. Mangetsu turned, a neutral expression on his face.

"Hello, Uzumaki."

"So…do you want to help take down Kisame?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Hozuki replied, completely nonplussed.

"Samehada is the last blade outside of Kirigakure, and because Kisame is ranked so highly, the Mizukage has instructed me to construct a team. I'd like you to be on it," Raiden explained.

"Why me?" he asked, and Raiden contemplated how to answer him before deciding to be totally blunt.

"I need you on offense against Kisame. I can't handle him by myself."

"And who else are you putting on the team?"

"Honoka, Fuyumi, and myself."

"Alright, I'll bite. Count me as part of your team."

"Awesome. Come to the Mizukage's office tonight, 1900 hours. Gotta get approval from the Boss." Task for the day accomplished, he shunshined back to Honoka's apartment. There were only a few hours until he had to report to Zabuza, and he was darn well going to compress the seal in the time he had available.

The process wasn't complicated, per se, but it was time and chakra intensive, as well as rather delicate. The expanded seal had to be primed, which would draw all the characters into the center of the design and overlap them into indecipherable squiggles. In order for them to overlap properly, which would cause different parts of the seal to trigger in a specific order when activated, he had to be mentally involved in the process, controlling every part of the seal individually. He used several shadow clones to copy the fuinjutsu formula on to blank scrolls before using one of those. There was no way he was going to lose all the work he'd already done.

It didn't take too long, thankfully; several clones worked on each copy he was making. Once the first copy had been completed he took a quick break—including going to the bathroom, as he'd have to be stationary for several hours during the process. After he'd done that he sat on the floor, legs crossed, and touched the tip of his finger to the center of the seal—the key character—and began to channel chakra.

He watched in fascination as the characters made their slow march towards the middle, sliding into each other to form indistinct shapes. Progress was slow but about what he'd expected. After some time he entered some sort of trance, a meditative state that faded slowly as the last character slid into place.

For a moment he just sat stiffly, staring at the small cluster of symbols in the middle of the scroll, not quite believing he'd done it. And then he jumped up, fist in the air, and shouted his victory.

And promptly sat back down, stretching his feet out gingerly. No matter what shape you were in, sitting in the same position for hours would make anyone's knees to cramp up. His back, too, he thought with a grimace, and let his upper body fall back so he was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a massive grin on his face. He still had to see if it worked, but still.

He tilted his head back to look at the time—it looked like a six, an upside-down four, and a nine. He blinked, then sat up and turned around. _6:49?_ He had eleven minutes to get to the Mizukage's office! He jumped to his feet, issued strict instructions to his shadow clones to continue making copies and guard the finished seal, then left the apartment and shunshined to the administration building where Zabuza's office was located.

He ran up the stairs, skipping every other step, then paused outside the door for a moment and entered at a more normal pace.

He noticed with some chagrin that he was last to arrive. _Oops_. Honoka shot him a look, but he just grinned. Zabuza had been seated behind his desk but now stood.

"Since we're all finally here, we can start," he announced somewhat stiffly. "I see you've brought Hozuki, Akizuki, and Uzumaki. Tell me why you chose each one of them."

For half a moment he wondered who Akizuki was, before realizing he meant Fuyumi. Who would probably be the best to start with; there was still that issue with the swords he had to bring up.

"Akizuki was an obvious choice; she specializes in taijutsu which will be essential against Kisame. Honoka, on the other hand, is a generalist and will provide support on this mission, and in the case Kisame has a partner will be able to fend them off or buy us enough time to fight them separately. Hozuki I chose for a similar reason as Akizuki—his fighting style relies less on jutsu and chakra use."

"Your reasoning is sound, but I see a flaw in this plan of yours. Hozuki most commonly wields Hiramekarei, which requires chakra to use properly. How do you plan to address this problem?" Zabuza asked.

"About that, actually—I was thinking he could use Kubikiriboucho?" Raiden said, his suggestion turning into more of a hesitant question by the end, as Zabuza's expression grew more thunderous.

"Tell me why each of the other swords are unsuitable."

"Nuibari doesn't quite have the girth to effectively act as defense against Samehada. Shibuki and Hiramekarei both require chakra to activate, and Kabutowari wasn't really made to defend against other blades. Kubikiriboucho, however, has the size but also the versatility needed with a battle against another sword-user."

Zabuza looked thoughtful. "And how familiar are you with Kubikiriboucho, Hozuki?"

"Not as much as I would like, sir."

"And Akizuki? Uzumaki? Do you feel it is necessary to improve your skills before setting off?"

"I think that would beneficial," Honoka ventured.

Zabuza pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Two weeks. Two weeks of training, and then the mission will begin. Hozuki, stay. You three can figure it out."

"Thank you, Zabuza-sama," Raiden said, as he, Honoka, and Fuyumi left.

They were quiet until they exited the building, and then Fuyumi moved to walk a little closer to him. It was slightly disconcerting.

"Thanks for choosing me for the mission, Raiden," she said, sounding a bit…odd.

"It made tactical sense," he explained, while attempting to put some space between them.

"Well, sure, but I want to thank you anyway. How about dinner?"

Oh. _Oh._ He'd never really thought about it before and was completely unprepared, so he shuffled for an excuse.

"Uh…this isn't really the time for—"

"He'll go."

"I—what? Honoka, you can't just—"

She turned to him, chin set stubbornly. "You'll go."

"Yes, of course I'll go. When and where?"

"How about tomorrow? Six? I'll drop by Honoka's apartment so you don't have to worry about the place."

"Uh, yep, sounds great. See you then?"

"It's a date!" she said, excited, then waved and briskly walked off, her gait somewhat stiff.

As soon as she was out of view, Raiden turned to Honoka, expression pained. "I don't have time for this! I have to compress as many seals as possible before we leave, and make sure I can actually use them! I haven't practiced them at all yet!" By the end of his impromptu rant he had to check his volume; it wouldn't help anything if he started yelling in the middle of the street.

"Okay, you know what? You need to chill," Honoka said, looking stormy. "The only thing I did was get you to agree to go with Fuyumi out to dinner. And you know what? Doing things other than what you normally do can really help relax your brain and increase productivity."

"Yeah, I got that, but do you understand what's at stake? I have to train, improve as much and as fast as I can. There are things happening in the shadows that you can't imagine. I've seen them, Honoka." He could hear his voice go hollow, could feel his expression deadening. "I know who's out there and what they can do.

"If it was just about the swords, just about me, I wouldn't care. But it's not, y'know? It's about the entire elemental nations." He stopped, a little calmer now. "I'm going to go train."

He shunshined to Honoka's apartment to pick up the seal he'd finished, then shunshined to the training grounds, testing out a few before finding an empty one.

He parked himself down and laid the compressed seal out on the grass—he was lucky there _was_ grass, and that it was dry—and cut off the excess paper, leaving him with a tag about 10 cm by 25 cm. To one end, on the back, he applied a sticky rice paste and wrapped it around the hilt of one of his kunai. He smoothed it out with his thumb, making sure there were no wrinkles, then hefted it and threw it.

It hadn't traveled very far but it was far enough to suit his purposes. Its blade was embedded halfway in a tree a few meters away at about chest height.

Without further hesitation he put his left hand in a half-ram, right hand open to grab the kunai hilt, and triggered the jutsu.

And promptly fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and completely winded, barely able to breathe. He scowled up at the kunai stuck in the tree above him, in too much pain to celebrate. He managed to catch his breath after a few moments and tried to figure out what had happened.

The teleportation bit had worked, obviously, and he allowed himself a smile for that. He was willing to bet it was his stomach had hit the kunai—his stomach because it was the source of chakra in the body. Without something else to latch on to, the seal automatically connected to the largest source of chakra in his body.

He stood up and stretched gingerly, wincing at the soreness in his abdomen. That one might still be hurting the next day. He glanced at his palm speculatively. Hadn't he had a similar problem when learning the Rasengan?

He pulled out his brush and ink pot and put a little swirl on his palm, just as Jiraiya had done, and basked in nostalgia for just a moment before putting both away. Now, concentrating, he tried the jutsu again.

And fell again. But it had worked! He'd gotten his hand on the kunai! He'd just not taken into account where the kunai was, and his momentum had carried him face-first into the tree. He sat up and prodded his nose with a finger—he felt _something_ shift—and then there was blood dripping from his nose. Not to mention, of course, the scratches the bark had made over his entire face; he probably looked like he'd already gone a round with Samehada.

But he wasn't going to leave the training ground until he got it down, at least well enough to use it to escape. So he got up again, and tried again, and again, before pulling the kunai out and trying mid-air teleports. Sometimes it didn't work but as he kept at it those times grew fewer and fewer.

When he finally stopped it was the combination of hunger and pain that convinced him he'd gotten in enough practice for one night. That, and he felt much less angry about the dinner date, having achieved visible progress with the Hiraishin.

He went into town and it wasn't until he noticed the stares he was getting did he remember he looked like a total mess. He gave an apologetic smile, but that probably didn't help at all, considering how people were turning away.

He bought a few fruits from a nearby stall and then decided to shunshin to Honoka's apartment.

"I'm home," he called as he opened the door and took off his sandals. "And I brought a peace offering."

"You better have," he heard from somewhere further in the apartment. "Because reason or no, that was a—"

She stopped dead as soon as she entered the main room.

" _What happened to your face?!"_

"The tree won." It probably wasn't the explanation she was looking for but he wanted to keep the Hiraishin under wraps for a while longer. It was nice if the first time he used it would be when he eventually fought against Madara, but his expectations were a bit more realistic than his hopes.

"Well, put the fruit down and get cleaned up. That looks…really painful, actually."

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea," he agreed. Showering would probably sting something awful, but the hot water would help soothe his muscles, and he'd rather not risk the infection or get blood or dirt on anything else. It was a pain to get those kinds of stains out of anything.

"After you shower we'll see if you have any cuts or anything that need attention," Honoka said.

"Sounds good." He hobbled off to the bathroom, his muscles having stiffened enough to make even walking painful. He hoped sincerely that quick healing was universal to Jinchuuriki, and not just an ability of Kurama's.

It was, as he'd thought, quite painful. Not as much as, say, getting a Chidori to the chest, but it stung ridiculously and his muscles were just getting progressively more achy. He put his pants on but gave up when it came to his shirt, not wanting to move his arms more than he had to. His lower body, thankfully, had incurred much less injury. He walked to the common area, and Honoka made a face again.

"What kind of trees were you fighting, Raiden?" she asked, shaking her head. "It looks like you just…ran into them."

He suddenly found the side wall very interesting and felt his cheeks color slightly.

"Did you _really?_ "

"…Kind of?" He attempted a smile, but it aggravated the scratches on his face and what he was almost certain was a broken nose.

Honoka sighed and set the first-aid kit next to him. He let her tape gauze and plasters on his face and arms. More stinging happened—he assumed it was disinfectant—but ignored it in favor of the food that had been placed in front of him. He finished his food before Honoka finished patching up what she could, but it was only a couple minutes more before she declared him as good as he was going to get. For which he was very thankful, as he was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

Although he was going to probably have to take a couple general pain meds if he wanted to fall asleep. And Honoka had apparently read his mind because she held out a couple pills in front of him. He took them gratefully and washed them down.

"They'll make you sleepy," she warned.

"I don't think I can be—" his sentence was interrupted by a yawn, which really felt uncomfortable considering his facial injuries. "Be more tired than I already am."

"I can see."

He got up and went to brush his teeth, then sat down on his bed and laid down. Within seconds he was completely out.

* * *

The next morning his muscles were stiff. And sore, but at least his bruises had faded to a dull yellow and his face wasn't abjectly hurting. It was his entire upper body instead. Hopefully the soreness would wane as they day went on; it was probably since he'd gotten a good amount of rest and he'd already healed as much as he had.

There was really only one thing to do that day if he wanted to continue making progress with the Hiraishin and that was compressing more seals. It was something he could do that didn't require movement, and while a cross-legged meditative position made it easiest to focus it wasn't really necessary.

He got up and went to the bathroom, of course, and ate breakfast—and then spent the rest of the morning compressing a seal. He took a brief lunch and bathroom break, then went back to his project, and managed to compress two more seals before he had to stop—his 'date' with Fuyumi was that evening, and he was still in his pyjamas, which consisted of shorts and a t-shirt, which weren't exactly date wear.

So he went to shower and had to first carefully peel off all the bandages and plasters. He was pleased to see that the scrapes had all at least scabbed over, with the smaller ones having already healed over almost completely. His torso and arms were still a mass of bruises, however, though they were much lighter than they had been even that morning. His face still looked pretty awful, too, he thought with some humor.

Maybe if he went into one-tail bijuu cloak his injuries would heal; it had certainly healed worse before. But he dismissed it almost immediately as a bad idea—it would probably be rather ill-received to release any sort of bijuu chakra within the village. And he'd rather not go to the hospital.

No matter these were hardly the worst injuries he'd had and he'd survived up to that point. He then actually showered, then dressed in some clothes that while not super-fancy were at least clean and different from what he usually wore.

When he made his way back out of the bathroom, Honoka and Fuyumi were sitting in the main room, chatting, and Raiden was glad he hadn't left any of the expanded seals out. Not that he would have been really worried about it, but it was the principle of the thing.

"Hey," he said, interrupting their conversation. Fuyumi gasped, eyes going wide as soon as she saw him.

"How on _earth—?_ "

"He was running into trees all of yesterday afternoon, apparently," Honoka said, rolling her eyes.

"I told you, I was training!" He protested.

"Training what, pain tolerance?"

"Sure, let's go with that." He paused. "And by the way, you look nice, Fuyumi."

Just because he hadn't originally wanted to go on the date didn't mean he would be rude.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "I would return the compliment, but…"

"I know, I even scared myself when I saw my reflection." He made a face; thankfully that didn't hurt too much anymore.

"All right, you kids," Honoka said, getting up and ushering them to the door. "My evening plans do not include supervising a date in my apartment's sitting area."

Raiden held the door open for Fuyumi, allowing her to go out, then paused to pull on his shoes. He'd just gotten the second one on when Honoka flicked his back, _hard_.

" _What was that for?"_ he whisper-hissed.

"Just making sure you weren't a shadow clone," she responded in a low voice.

"As if I would!" he whisper-shouted, feigning offense—in reality he was wondering why he hadn't thought of that, as it would allow him to keep working on his Hiraishin while still keeping his promise to go on the date.

"Uh-huh. Just remember: be nice and have fun, okay?"

"Got it."

And then she shoved him out the door and closed it behind him.

"So….dinner?"

"Dinner it is."

* * *

 **AN: Shout-out to Fuyuriku, who for some reason decided to basically beta the entire story up through the last chapter. You have my utmost respect.**

 **Also: this chapter comes to you a week or so early because I visited family and had a five-hour bus ride there and back.**

 **Also: All my characters keep surprising me and I really try to keep them on track but they just won't have it.**


	17. Chapter 17: Disaster

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

They fell into step outside the apartment and the atmosphere was awkward, to say the least. He glanced over at Fuyumi, who was looking ahead.

"Uh, so…where are we going for dinner?" He asked—if he was gonna do something he'd do it _right_ , even if it was just a date. In reality it didn't feel like a date—it was more like friends hanging out. With that in mind, it was actually a little easier to converse. "Unless you have something else in mind first, of course, but I think my stomach would appreciate some food."

As if to prove his point, his stomach let out a huge growl. He flushed slightly and Fuyumi started laughing. "No, really?"

"I have been betrayed," he said, mock-hurt, and the awkwardness began to fade.

"Dinner first, definitely," she reassured him. "I'm pretty hungry, too. If you're not opposed, the market district has some great street food. The portions are pretty small, so you can try a lot of different things."

"Sounds great."

It was quiet again—he wasn't sure what else to say but then Fuyumi asked him about his latest project.

"So I heard you were working on a seal, right? Honoka said even she couldn't make heads or tails of it, and she's one of the best fuinjutsu users in the village."

"Oh! Yeah," he said, grasping on to the topic like a lifeline. "Yeah, it's pretty fiddly. I was lucky because the seal had already been created but I couldn't use it as it was because it has to be individually tailored to each user. So I had to recalculate everything and basically re-write the entire seal. And it's a multi-seal, which means there can be multiples that all connect to each other. So I have to write out each seal individually, and then compress them."

"And what does the compressing do?" She asked, obviously interested in the process—probably because it was less common knowledge.

"Well, there's two things compression accomplishes, both of which are really useful. The first thing is—a lot of more complicated seals, when they're written out, are pretty big. Take an explosive tag for instance—that formula actually covers an entire sheet of paper when fully written out. But get enough paper and it becomes heavy and takes up space. So the formula is compressed, squashing the outer script inwards until it fits on a standard-size tag."

"And what's the other reason?"

"Actually, that one is so people won't copy the unique seal formula. Again with the explosive tag—the only legible characters are the ones in the middle, which are the trigger and also let you know that it's an explosive tag so you don't accidentally blow your fingers off. But the outer script isn't legible. That way any ninja who takes it doesn't automatically know how to create one on their own. It's kind of like a copyright, with the more common tags, but also can be a security thing." He paused.

"Of course, there's also the particular order you have to write the characters in, or it might just blow up in your face while making it anyway," he added matter-of-factly.

"Can I assume you're speaking from experience?" Fuyumi asked, grinning.

"I'll have you know, my eyebrows did grow back completely fine," he said, managing to keep a straight face for only a few seconds before cracking up, making Fuyumi laugh as well.

And then his stomach growled again, making her laugh even harder.

"We're almost there, don't worry," she said, after she'd caught her breath. "Can you smell it yet?"

He channeled a bit of chakra to his nose and sniffed at the air, nearly instantly starting to drool at the smell of frying seafood.

"That's amazing," he said fervently, and they walked down another street and turned a corner and then there were food stalls _everywhere_. His eyes widened and he breathed out slowly. "Okay, what first?"

"This one over here—it sells uni, sea urchin, and theirs is _really_ tasty."

"Yeah? Okay."

After the uni, they visited stalls that sold unagi, tempura, sashimi, roe, calamari, tako, kaki, and finally matcha ice cream, because what didn't go well with matcha? By the time they made it back to Honoka's apartment—she _better_ not be watching them—it was dark, but it had been a pretty fun evening and he didn't regret taking a break from preparing.

"Thanks, tonight was fun," he said, meaning it, and Fuyumi smiled.

"It was, wasn't it? Thanks for coming. See you tomorrow, then," she said.

"Yeah. See you."

She turned and left, and after a moment of watching her retreating form he went inside.

"How was it?" Honoka asked.

"It was nice."

* * *

After that training and preparing settled back into the normal routine and before he knew it the two weeks were up. The four of them—Hozuki, Fuyumi, Honoka and himself—met in Zabuza's office and he sent them off on their mission, with the info that Kisame was rumored to be somewhere around the Land of Rivers.

The first real affirmation they got was when they passed through a village—the residents were extremely wary of them, more than any of the other towns had been. So they split up—Raiden with Honoka, and Mangetsu with Fuyumi. They still got a few wary looks, though, so Raiden decided to try something.

"Hey, Honoka, try hiding your hitai-ite," he suggested. So she untied it and stuck it in her pocket, and they continued on. The wary looks decreased significantly after and they decided to stop at an izakaya for lunch and a possible information source; generally those who patronized such establishment were prone to gossip and were good potential sources of information, even without a few drinks in them.

So when the lunch crowd started to trickle in, he turned to the man who sat next to him and started to probe, Honoka doing something similar on his other side.

"So what's the deal with those foreigners? Been hearing 'bout them," He asked, after applying a subtle henge to match his appearance to the general look of the townspeople. "The last one just came in, what, a couple weeks ago?"

"Little less—week and a half, probably. Some of 'em were wearing the same symbol, but it's not slashed. Reckon they're after that one from before, y'know the creepy-lookin' one looks like a fish."

"I bet," Raiden agreed, silently rejoicing. That was a solid lead right there, and a confirmation their travel time hadn't been totally wasted. They finished their lunch and headed back out to meet up outside with Fuyumi and Hozuki—both of whom looked slightly irritated.

"We got nothing," Fuyumi said gloomily. "None of the villagers would even come near us, and of course we can't corner them without potentially causing an incident."

"I guess it's a good thing that Raiden and I got some information, then," Honoka said, re-tying her hitai-ite around her head. "Kisame was here, about a week and a half ago. Apparently he came from the east, so we think he's heading west."

Hozuki looked slightly disgruntled at the news, while Fuyumi's expression was a mixture of anticipation and excitement.

"Back on the road, guys," Raiden said. "We've still got time before nightfall."

They kept going at a rapid pace for a few days before they hit another town, where they picked up some more information—a shark-looking man and someone else had passed through just a couple of days ago. It seemed like they had been taking it easy, so Raiden let his team go slow for the next day; they'd need to be well-rested for the fight ahead.

* * *

The info had been right, it _was_ Kisame; he'd recognize that chakra anywhere. Just as he recognized the second one, very well. The sage mode drained from his face, as did his normal color; he'd believed it highly improbably that the two would be paired together and was suddenly very grateful he'd been practicing the Hiraishin.

"All right, guys, I got good news and bad news. Good news is we're getting close—it is Kisame, and he's only a few days away. Bad news is—he's got an accomplice, who might be even more dangerous than he is." It was only 'might', because he didn't yet have the Rinnegan nor was he the Juubi's bijuu.

"How could he _possibly_ be more dangerous than Kisame?" Mangetsu asked. "He's nearly gotten to double-S rank now."

"The guy's name is Tobi, but he might be calling himself Madara," Raiden recounted distastefully, noting the recognition on all their faces. "He's got a jutsu that makes him intangible if you try to attack but if he attacks he's solid. In addition to that, his speed and strength are ridiculous, he can basically teleport, he is proficient in all five chakra natures, and his skill in the basic disciplines is very high."

"So we're keeping your original plan? With Hozuki and I taking Kisame on," Fuyumi confirmed, "Honoka providing support, and you distracting this Tobi?" Her face was set, determined; her expression mirrored in the other two's expressions.

"Yep, I'll be distracting Tobi all on my lonesome." Honoka looked a bit conflicted, but he smiled grimly. "It's probably better that way, to be honest—my clones are good for that and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I know will rattle him."

"If you say so," Honoka said, looking doubtful.

"I do," he assured her. "I know all these guys much better than they know me, especially now." As soon as the words left his mouth he mentally winced; that was probably not the best way of phrasing it but he couldn't un-say it.

Thus it was a rather tense few hours until they finally caught up to them. There was no way they would be able to ambush or sneak up on them—Tobi's Sharingan was always activated, and Samehada would alert Kisame of their presence. Which was what ended up happening; Raiden saw as Samehada twitched in its wrapping, at which point Kisame stopped, Tobi continuing a few steps before stopping as well.

"Do we have visitors?" He asked, still affecting his annoying, high-pitched 'Tobi' voice. Raiden held up a fist behind his back, signaling to his team that they were to hold tight for a moment.

"Don't move until one of them attacks, got it?" he said. "We can do this."

He performed a quick henge, turned and winked at his team, then walked into view of the two nukenin. Shinobi almost always underestimated the value of psychological warfare.

"Stop this, Obito," he said, his tone of voice both authoritative and disappointed. "Come home."

Tobi stilled dangerously, hands lowering from behind his head to form loose fists at his sides.

"Who are you?"

Angry opponents lost their heads more easily, and the angrier they were the worse it was.

"It's me, Obito, your sensei," he said, tone moving from disappointed to puzzled. "You know, Team 7? Me, you, Kakashi-kun, Rin-chan?"

He could see Tobi was growing more tense and wound up as he talked; when he spoke Rin's name Tobi snapped, practically screaming.

"Rin's _dead! You're_ dead! And I'm going to make sure Kakashi's dead by my own hand! _Who are you!?_ "

Kisame moved in front of Tobi, probably to provide a distraction until Tobi cooled off but his team intercepted him, and their fight moved away from himself and Tobi.

"It's me," Raiden replied to Tobi's question, still using a faintly puzzled and sympathetic tone, and then began a modified henge he'd not yet shown to anyone—a gradual transformation. The image of his father slowly blurred and shifted into that of his mother.

"Obito-kun! You're alive! What happened to you?" Her image began to transform again, growing claws, teeth, and horns; he even added just a touch of bijuu chakra to create an oppressive atmosphere. _"W_ _ **h**_ _y_ _ **d**_ _i_ _ **d**_ _y_ _ **o**_ _u_ _ **d**_ _o_ _ **it**_ _?_ _ **Wh**_ _y d_ _ **i**_ _d y_ _ **o**_ _u k_ _ **il**_ _l M_ _ **in**_ _a_ _ **t**_ _o? M_ _ **e**_ _? W_ _ **h**_ _y_ _ **di**_ _d_ _ **y**_ _ou tr_ _ **y**_ _to k_ _ **ill**_ _ **o**_ _ur s_ _ **on**_ _?"_

" _Because I needed him to bring Rin back!"_ Tobi howled, then launched himself at Raiden, just a few meters separating them.

Tobi managed to nail his jaw, but he managed a solid counterattack to Tobi's solar plexus. He backed off, putting some distance between them. Tobi glared at him hatefully, his one eye gleaming red.

"Uzumaki Raiden," he growled, Raiden having dropped the henge when Tobi had attacked. He used Kamui to disappear and Raiden pulled a couple Hiraishin kunai out of his holster; he suspected he'd have to dodge soon…. _now!_

He didn't have enough time to throw a kunai far enough to dodge so he _pulled_ at his environment, using nature chakra to speed up his reaction time and counterattacked, aiming an uppercut at Tobi's face. It connected; Raiden's speed was something Tobi obviously hadn't expected and something _cracked_.

Jumping back, Raiden could see that Tobi also had retreated slightly. The bottom third of the mask had been shattered, cracks running up to the small hole through which Tobi's Sharingan was visible. He grinned, a manic, bloody thing showing too many teeth.

"Madara _was_ right—he should have wiped out the last of you Uzumaki when he had the chance!" He spat out blood and what Raiden thought were tooth shards. "Not too late to fix that, now is it?"

His breath caught. Naruto—Satoshi—Honoka—Daichi—Nagat0.

"And all I have to do is convince him to move up your extermination to our first priority! He's already agreed we need those eyes, so he just might do it!"

Raiden could feel the rage building and tamped it down; he couldn't afford to go into bijuu mode while his relationship with Isobu was still so fragile. So he shut him out and chucked a kunai at Tobi's head, which promptly went straight through.

The second kunai, however, stabbed _exactly_ where Raiden had aimed. The kidney, while not _immediately_ fatal, would lead to death within a few hours if not treated promptly.

Obviously, Tobi had not been expecting the Hiraishin.

Tobi fell to one knee as Raiden dropped from his mid-air position to land in a crouch, still unstable, and caught a foot to his ribs with enough force to crack a few. But just moments later Tobi was gone, having used Kamui to jump dimensions.

At least Tobi had left the Hiraishin kunai behind; it could have been really bad if he'd taken that along with him. Thankfully he hadn't, so Raiden gathered up all the remaining Hiraishin kunai, bending stiffly as the entire left side of his torso felt like one big bruise. He surveyed the area once more, checking it for anything that remained, then finding nothing charged up Sage Mode again and went to join the fight against Kisame.

Which wasn't progressing as he'd hoped; it had turned into a battle of attrition and while Mangetsu looked okay, if a bit tired, Fuyumi had opened at least four of the gates and he knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer.

A mad idea suddenly popping into his head, he ran up and roundhouse kicked Kisame, right in the face—or would have, if the shark-man hadn't put Samehada up at the last second to block. As it was, Raiden's lower pant leg was shredded, and his leg was in a similar condition. But he could feel that the level of nature chakra in his body was much lower than before, and something _was_ happening to Samehada, so he jumped back to where Honoka was, his attention focused on the sword.

" _Ouch!"_ he hissed—his leg had suddenly stung, as if—as if someone had just sprayed disinfectant on it, he realized, as he saw Honoka's unrepentant face. She then quickly wrapped his leg in bandages, tight and thin enough he'd still be able to move easily, discounting the broken ribs, which she hadn't yet noticed.

"Thanks, cousin."

"Never mind that—what happened to the other one?"

"I got in a lucky kunai shot to the kidney—he wasn't prepared for the awesome new jutsu I've been learning. Did get in a good rib shot though; I think a few are broken."

"Geez, idiot, mention that first next time!" She hastily helped him out of his shirt and jacket and started wrapping his ribs.

"What's been happening here?" he asked, grunting as she pulled the bandage tight.

"Stalemate; that sword is alive and it's been rough."

"Well I think that sword's gonna be out for a while, I just injected it with nature chakra. Either that, or…"

They both watched in fascination as Kisame's movement drastically slowed, his right forearm going completely stiff as Samehada keened and quivered.

"And here I was thinking I'd just given Samehada indigestion," Raiden stated blandly. "But now half of Kisame's arm's turned to stone."

That was actually very good for them; without both arms Kisame's range of motion, speed, and his ability to fully utilize Samehada were greatly diminished. Soon, Mangetsu was able to disarm Kisame—quite literally, as Kisame was now missing both arms, the stone having shattered after he blocked a kick from Fuyumi.

In a move very reminiscent of Raiden's own encounter with Zabuza in his youth Kisame bit down on a kunai, managing to dodge or deflect Mangetsu and Fuyumi's counter-attacks, even managing a few hits on his own. But it was two against one, and the one was severely injured. Mangetsu and Fuyumi were then able to wear him down until Mangetsu executed the finishing blow, fulfilling the purpose of the blade he was wielding.

They all paused, breathing heavily, then Fuyumi let out a tired cheer and flopped onto the ground. Mangetsu did likewise, shoving the blade into the ground by his feet and leaning heavily on it in an attempt to catch his breath.

Raiden handed a scroll to Honoka and motioned to the corpse; she was the only one relatively uninjured (his leg was starting to bleed through the bandages, which probably wasn't good) and with enough energy. So she took it, opened it, and went to seal Kisame's body—and head—into the scroll.

Except—the sealing took chakra. And Samehada was still right there. Her initial attempt to seal Kisame's body didn't work, so she tried again—and then Samehada was humming, resting up against her leg.

Raiden snorted—she'd jumped a mile when it touched her and the adrenaline high still hadn't faded so he was feeling a little loopy. But hey—it meant they wouldn't have any problems getting it back to Kiri.

He limped over to Honoka.

"You should probably just pick it up, I think it likes your chakra," he said.

"But it's _creepy_ ," she said, looking askance at it.

"You're gonna hurt it's feelings!" She scowled at him and his expression grew apologetic. "In all seriousness, though, it's chosen you as its new wielder, at least temporarily. Just move it over a bit so I can seal Kisame's corpse, will you?"

She did so reluctantly, grunting at its not-so-surprising heft and moving a few paces away. He sealed the body quickly and handed the scroll back to her.

He exhaled slowly. And then his relief was promptly destroyed when he recalled Tobi's words and the implication finally hit him. _"Those eyes"_ …It could only refer to the Rinnegan, and the only one who held those—was _Nagato._

"I gotta go."

"…what?"

"Tobi…he said something, and now I'm really worried about Ame. I think something might have happened to Nagato and I'm going to go check up on them."

"Raiden, we're in the middle of a mission! He was probably just trying to mess with you!" she said, and he could hear the exasperation in her voice but he _knew_ something was wrong.

"I'm going," he restated, charging up Sage Mode. "As long you bring the blade back, I think Zabuza will give me some leeway."

"At least let me re-bandage your leg first," she said, resigned.

He glanced down and was a bit surprised to see how much of the bandages around his leg were red and immediately assented. Once that was taken care of, however, he got up and left, heading in the direction of Amegakure. As he ran he couldn't stop himself thinking about them—Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato— and wondering if they were okay.

His gut told him probably not, and that was affirmed when he first glanced Amegakure. There was an oily black smoke billowing from one side of the city and he could see pieces missing from several ruined buildings. He sped up, pausing only briefly at the gate to verify his identity; in times of crisis it was even more important that protocol was followed.

He shunshined to the central tower then up to the roof and entered through the roof. It was faster that way; the three of them lived on the higher levels of the building. He flared his chakra briefly—it anyone of them felt it they'd alert the others and probably come find him—and sure enough he turned the corner and there were Yahiko and Konan, both looking worse for wear.

"What happened? Where's Nagato?"

"The Village was attacked," Yahiko explained quickly. "Nagato's in the hospital."

The both of them were grim, but not afraid; Nagato was at least stable then. "When? And what's the damage?"

"Two days ago. Civilian deaths, shinobi deaths, permanent injuries, infrastructure damage—it's not good. And we've been having a hard time dealing with that fire since Nagato's been out of commission—no chakra-rain to help dampen it."

"And Nagato?"

"He's in a coma," Konan stated succinctly. "And missing an eye."

That….wasn't good. If Raiden had the time or energy, he'd have been cursing Madara to the deepest depths of the Shinigami's stomach and back, but at the moment he was more focused on verifying that his cousin wasn't dead. And after that it would be assisting with cleanup.

The three of them made their way to said hospital, and went straight to Nagato's room, where he was lying swathed in bandages, a patch over his left eye. He was very still, but Raiden was reassured by the gentle rise and fall of his chest, however shallow it was.

He sat heavily in the chair beside Nagato's bed, his injuries and the weariness of past few days catching up with him.

"Don't worry, cousin," he murmured. "Uzumaki always pull through. And by the time you're awake again, we'll have this place all fixed up, okay?"

He waited for a few moments, then stood wearily, the manic energy that had consumed him finally wearing off.

"I'm going to crash pretty soon, and I could probably use some medical aid," he said. "And a shower wouldn't go amiss either."

"The hospital showers are just down the hallway to the left," Yahiko said. "And I'm pretty sure they're fully stocked with everything you'd need. After that just go back down to the reception area; they'll assign you a room but it might be a double considering the current amount of injured we have."

"That's fine."

"We need sleep as well," Konan interrupted, lightly nudging Yahiko. "A well-rested leader is an efficient and effective leader."

"You're right, as always," Yahiko said, smiling, and Raiden cleared his throat. "Well, uh, we're gonna go back—see you in the morning." And with that they left, walking closer together than Raiden remembered them doing before.

Putting it out of his mind, he headed to the showers and gratefully cleaned the travel grime and dried blood from his body. He was careful with the wound on his leg—he didn't want to irritate it more than it already was, though thankfully it didn't seem to be infected. There were hospital outfits, too—thankfully normal pants, though the material was somewhat thinner and lighter than his own, and a simple top that would tie close—easier to put on than his own as well, what with the state of his ribs—and after he'd dressed himself he headed down to the main desk to check himself in.

Normally he'd be more averse to check into a hospital voluntarily, but the sooner he got medical attention the sooner he would be healed and able to help. And he trusted the hospitals in Ame for more than he had the hospitals in Konoha as a kid.

As expected, they put him in a double room, and the wait time on the med-nin was a bit long and as his case wasn't life-threatening or too severe he'd have to wait until the next day to be properly healed. But they did re-bandage his leg, making sure it was properly disinfected and stitching the more severe gashes before applying a healing salve.

The unexpected thing was: the one occupying the other bed in his room was Shin. He was currently asleep—he silently thanked all that was holy—but it was rather late. The next morning would be fun, though.

The nurses left and he laid back in the bed—surprisingly comfortable, he mused, then fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

When he woke up the next morning he was feeling much more alert and awake, but that had the unfortunate side effect of meaning he could feel exactly how much his injuries hurt. Ribs weren't too bad as long as he remained on his right side but his leg was burning. He made a noise of distaste—he'd deal with it, as he had most every other injury before—and then a curious voice asked, "Are you awake now?"

He sat himself up gingerly. "Yeah." He glanced at the clock; just past ten. No wonder he was so hungry.

"Oh! It's you, Uzumaki-san! Good timing, things haven't been doing well around here. I'm here for another couple days; they like to take it slow with head wounds."

"Glad to see you're doing okay, though," Raiden said, not really sure what else to say. Further conversation was prevented with the arrival of Yahiko, whose face was creased with worry. He ran a hand through his hair, something Raiden knew he only did when extremely stressed.

"He took a turn for the worse last night."

Raiden cursed, that _really_ wasn't good. It gave them a much narrower window to find an expert healer; everyone at the hospital had already done their best in regards to Nagato.

"You mean—Uzumaki-sama?"

Shin's worried question made Yahiko run his hands through his hair again.

"You weren't supposed to hear that," he said guiltily. "We didn't want to worry anyone, but yeah, Nagato's not doing too well at the moment."

"I heard a story," Shin said, seemingly out of nowhere. "About a lady in Kusa. Can heal anyone. They say she even raised someone from the dead."

"Kusa's close," Raiden said, more alert now. "Would save time. I know Tsunade could probably heal him too, but she's in Konoha and it'll still take weeks to get there and back."

Especially as he hadn't placed a Hiraishin seal there yet.

"So what—go to Kusa and try and find this lady, and send another team to go and notify Tsunade as a backup?" asked Yahiko.

"Can't hurt," Raiden said. "Gives us the best chances overall."

"All right, which team do you want to be on?"

"Kusa. Shin's gonna tell me everything he knows about it, I'm gonna get healed up, then I'm gonna go."

And then, as if summoned, the med-nin arrived bearing food.

"Good morning, Leader-sama, Uzumaki-san, Shin-san. Uzumaki-san, it will take some time to heal you, so feel free to eat while I am working." He liked this med-nin—polite, professional, and efficient. And he hadn't made any fuss about Yahiko being there either.

He dug into the food gratefully—his stomach had been trying to gnaw itself for the past ten minutes or so and he needed the nourishment. The med-nin pulled the blankets up to expose his leg, then unwound the bandage and examined it. It didn't hurt as much as the day before, and it was kind of a stinging sensation rather than the previous burning. The med-nin apparently thought it looked okay as well, and his hands proceeded to glow green and move slowly up and down, hovering above his skin.

It itched abominably but it wouldn't last long, he knew this from experience.

Yahiko protested his idea, though. "Look. I know you're strong, but it's dangerous to go rushing off on your own all the time."

"Spee' if wha' we nee' in this mission though, righ'?" He answered through a mouth full of rice. He swallowed. "I have a way of getting around even faster than before now. We just can't afford to send more people. Plus, if I do find this miracle woman, I can notify the team sent to find Tsunade immediately and bring them back—all they need to do is borrow one of my kunai."

"All right, fine. You can go. Just don't die on us, you got it?" Yahiko stood. "Meanwhile, we'll be here leading cleanup. Come back soon; can't have one of our best workers skipping out on work."

"You got it, Boss!" Raiden said jokingly and Yahiko smiled. He tried a mock-salute, too, but it pulled at his ribs and he winced, causing the med-nin to tut at him. Yahiko just shook his head and walked out, chuckling as he went.

"All right, Shin, now can you tell me everything you remember about this miracle lady?"

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the late update, everyone. But my muse first decided to go on vacation, and then decided it wanted to hang out in the Reborn fandom for a while, along with a few other original projects.**

 **Plus I was dealing with just stuff in general, including attempting to figure out how to interact with a roommate who is as much an extrovert as I am an introvert. Which, let me tell you, is very much so, so it can be a bit awkward at times.**

 **Anyway. Here's the update. Hope you like it!**


	18. Chapter 18: Kusa

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

It was surprisingly easy to sneak into Kusa. It was smaller than any of the other hidden villages he'd seen, except maybe Hoshigakure. And while that meant he was noticed more easily, being a foreigner, as long as he played the civilian he was generally ignored because their limited force of shinobi had better things to do.

His plan for finding said "miracle lady" was a bit embarrassing, but simple and should be nearly foolproof. As an exceptional healer, and with such a small and generalized shinobi force, it was almost certain she'd be working at the hospital.

So he'd pretend to be ill or injured, end up in the hospital, switch out with a clone and go hunting.

So mid-morning, when he stopped for breakfast, he began to eat—and then pretended to choke. He held his breath and tensed the muscles in his neck until his face turned red, hitting the counter a few times for dramatic effect. Then he slumped off his chair and onto the floor, breathing extremely shallowly (he did need air, and there was no way he was gonna let someone perform CPR on him if he could help it) where he laid until the shop owner got someone to help carry him to the hospital.

Once there—and once he got a moment where he wasn't being watched—he made a clone, swapped with it, and jumped out the window to the roof, where he entered Sage Mode and reached out.

And holy _Sage_ that was an Uzumaki chakra right under his feet. Of _course_. The healing must have been the Uzumaki's chakra manifesting itself—but the chakra signature felt almost _deflated_ , as if it had been drained too often and for too long. Hm.

He wrote a seal tag—chakra converter—and funneled some of his into it. The chakra conversion tag was a brilliant piece of fuinjutsu but currently he could only put his own in—anyone else's chakra would just disrupt it. However, once it had his chakra, when it was applied to someone else it would record their signature, convert his chakra to match it, and inject it into the other person. Basically, what Kurama had done during the war in the past future.

He applied a henge to appear as one of the village's med-nin and followed the chakra until he passed caught sight of her coming out of one of the rooms. She was a bit older that the Ame trio—she looked to be about the same age his mom would have been. Her vibrant hair was beginning to gray prematurely, and stress lines and exhaustion were evident in her face.

He kept walking—no use in acting suspiciously, and as they passed in the hallway he brushed up against her, slipping the seal tag on. He turned the corner and shunshined out, unknowingly leaving his older relative wide-eyed, frozen in the hallway.

* * *

That man she'd passed in the hallway had done something; as soon as he was behind her she felt an influx of chakra. Enough so that the constant ache in her body was alleviated for the first time in years. So she turned around, sensed his chakra—she didn't know who he was but he felt _so familiar_.

Like _family._

She froze for a moment, then ran back the way she came—but he was already gone. Disappointed, she remained there a minute longer before heading out—her mandatory work time was finally over.

She hurried getting changed out of the med-nin uniform and walked home quickly; the less time Karin was home just with her minder, the better. Who knows what he would try to indoctrinate her with.

Honestly, she hated the situation she was in. After the diaspora, she'd ended up here, and at first it had been wonderful. Relative anonymity, a small town where any outsiders were immediately noticed—it seemed to be a safe place.

Until she revealed her special ability.

How could she not? She already worked as an ordinary med-nin; it was relatively out of the way and allowed her to bring in income to support herself and Karin. So when they brought in the man and declared that nothing could be done, she allowed him to bite her arm, thereby saving his life.

And then suddenly they put her under guard. Put Karin under guard. Asked her, more and more, to heal the serious injuries and life-threatening cases because it was convenient, because she was still and outsider and she was in their debt.

She was nearly certain Karin had it, too; the limited sensing ability she had pointing her in that direction. And she couldn't let them figure that out. But sooner or later, they would. So she was trapped.

"I'm home!" she called, entering the house, and Karin ran out, grabbing her in a tight hug.

"Welcome home!" Karin said into her stomach. Her face tilted upwards, confused. "What happened, Mama? You feel more solid today."

"Hmm. It's a mystery," she replied, not really sure what to think herself. The man—he was an Uzumaki for sure. But who exactly was he? And what was he doing there—both in Kusa and at the hospital in particular?

She put it out of her mind; what she needed to focus on now was what was in front of her, not some mysterious ghost or shinobi or whatever he was.

"Have you had dinner yet, Karin?" She hoped so; it was past nine already and her minder was supposed to feed her between seven and eight. Her daughter nodded. And speaking of the minder…

"Oi, Akiyama, go away now." She was expressing her displeasure at her situation in the only way she currently could; rudeness wasn't punished like anything else would be.

He came out from the back room and walked past, narrowly missing her. While he slipped his shoes on Karin cheerily wished him goodbye and he left promptly.

"All right, let's get you ready for bed," she said, discarding her own shoes. "Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes," Karin said blandly, face blank of emotion. Too blank.

"Let me see, then."

"…I will!" Karin ran to the bathroom and she heard the sink running. Shaking her head in amusement, she went to get some food for herself. The food at the hospital was decent, but she was only allowed one meal for each shift.

Karin came out barely a minute later—not enough time to have really brushed her teeth properly, but at least she tried and her teeth were probably cleaner than before.

"And now pajamas?"

Karin ran off again and just thirty seconds later was back in front of her, beaming her gap-toothed smile in disheveled pajamas. She straightened them amusedly, putting her plate aside.

"Where's your brush?"

"In my room," Karin said, taking her by the hand. It was a routine they had—she would brush Karin's hair before bed, telling her the stories of their Uzumaki heritage.

"And which story do you want tonight?" She asked, once Karin had gotten settled enough to sit still.

"A new one!"

"Hmm, let's see…" She sat down beside Karin on her bed and began to run the brush through her hair, gently working out any knots she came across. "One time, when he was a little older than you are now, my otou-san—your ojii-san—went exploring. He liked to do that—said it was more fun than lessons."

Karin giggled.

"And while he was exploring, he found a nest of baby snakes."

"Uh oh," Karin said. "Baby snakes are really dangerous."

"Mm-hmm. He thought they were akamata, so he used a kunai to pick one up and put it in a cup he's brought with him."

"Was it really an akamata?"

"Well, he took it home to show his okaa-san, and she gave him talking-to because no, it wasn't; it was a mamushi!"

Karin let out a small gasp. "And what happened next?"

"Well, obaa-san called to my ojii-san, and he went out there and made sure all the snakes were relocated where they wouldn't be found by naughty little boys. And my otou-san, he wasn't allowed to play for weeks and they made him do errands for all their neighbors."

"That sounds awful!"

"Well I'm sure it wasn't very fun for him," she said, pulling the brush through Karin's hair one more time before setting it down. "Now, it's bed time for you."

"Okay, Mama," she said, pulling up her covers and burrowing under them.

"Good night, musume," she said, and kissed Karin's forehead before turning out the light and leaving the room. She sighed; the stories she could tell without repeating them were increasingly mundane and trivial—not that they weren't fun or important to know, but the most important things—the origins and knowledge and responsibilities of their clan—she couldn't yet share with Karin, because of the constant surveillance. Once again, she cursed the situation she was stuck in.

She went to go finish her dinner and had barely finished washing her dishes before she heard a soft knock at the door. If it was the minders again she was going to—

The man standing in front of the door was the spitting image of her cousin Mitsuhide, just with spikier hair. His chakra—the same one she'd sensed in the hospital.

"Who are you?" she whispered. "Why are you here?"

"May I come in?" he asked quietly. "Best to not discuss sensitive matters outside."

She wordlessly held the door open for him and stepped to one side, watching as his lanky frame bent over and removed his shoes. She'd known that she wasn't, couldn't have been the only Uzumaki to escape, but she'd never seen any others. To have the confirmation of that right in front of her—

She closed the door and led him to the living room. Before he sat down, he placed seal tags in a perimeter around them and activated them. Truly an Uzumaki, then.

"I'm Raiden," he said.

"Nanami," she responded, still a bit wary.

"Do you want to leave here?"

Her eyes widened. Here was her way out, handed to her on a silver platter; all she had to do was take it. It was worth any risk, if it was able to keep Karin safe. And he was _family_.

"I do. Can you do that?"

"I have just one request. I'll help you, even if you decline, but there is one person who needs your ability. Nagato, he's one of us, too, he's injured badly now and in a coma—he might not survive unless he's healed quickly. Just think about it, okay? You can decide once we've reached where we'll be safe."

"And my daughter?"

"You have—well, of course she'll come too," he responded, looking offended. "Are you able to leave tonight?"

"I've been ready to leave ever since they forced me to work at that hospital," she responded bitterly. "Do you have any storage seals with you?"

He nodded and pulled out several, which she gladly took a couple of and headed to her room—only to run into Karin standing right around the corner. She gave her a _look_ and Karin feigned innocence, but it was just as well because having Karin awake would make travel and preparation somewhat easier.

"Raiden-san, could you go with Karin and seal anything that needs to be?" She asked. "And Karin, put on some darker pants, a coat and your sandals, okay?"

"Yes, Mama," she said, wide-eyed—she was a smart kid, and though the privacy seal Raiden had put up had prevented her from actually hearing anything she'd realized quickly what was happening.

Raiden followed her down the hall and she went to seal anything necessary or valuable away—all of which was either in the kitchen or her bedroom. As such, it was quick work—just under an hour, truth all told; the house had never really been theirs and she hadn't wanted to place anything in open view of their minders.

That done, Raiden handed her two identical seal tags, the design of which she didn't recognize.

"Put it on the back of your necks," he explained as he dismantled the privacy seal. "It's a localized barrier made of nature chakra. It'll put out basically a thin film around the nearest chakra network without mixing. Makes you invisible to sensors, though it does mean you can't use chakra externally."

Nature chakra was volatile and could be dangerous; it was amazing that he'd managed to utilize it so young.

Surprisingly, leaving the village was relatively easy. She ran into a minder outside her front door but thankfully he was male—when he asked her where she was going and she said she was going to buy "feminine products" and he backed off. The excuse wouldn't have worked if Raiden hadn't been carrying Karin above them, traveling on the roofs; having her and Raiden switch off carrying Karin would enable them to travel faster, and Karin had wanted to go with her "Raiden-nii" first. The fact that her by herself was less suspicious that her with Karin was a happy coincidence.

She had no doubt the minder would follow her from a distance, though, and she knew he was a sensor so as soon as she was out of his sight she ducked through the nearest building and exited through the back, taking to the roofs as well.

They met back up outside of the city and headed west towards the closest border. Once they'd passed it they slowed down a bit, Raiden handing a now-asleep Karin back to her.

"We're headed to Ame," Raiden told her, and apprehension began to grow.

"Isn't that a war zone?" Last she heard, that rebel group—Aka-something—had been fighting against Hanzou.

"Not anymore—the Akatsuki defeated Hanzou nearly a year ago," Raiden said. "I think they didn't tell you because they didn't want to provide you with such an attractive escape route."

"And what makes it so attractive?" she asked, curiosity piqued.

"Akatsuki was led by a triumvirate, who are now the official leaders of Amegakure. One them is Nagato Uzumaki—the one that requires your healing; he was injured in a recent attack on Amegakure."

She gave him a flat look. "The city is still getting attacked regularly?"

"No," he said, expression hard. "This was a one-time thing; a terrorist group came for a specific purpose and they got what they wanted; they won't come again."

"As long as Karin will be safe."

"She will be. I promise. After all—my goal is to revive the Uzumaki clan. How can I do that if I don't protect my family?"

* * *

The city was at least not smoking when they arrived, which was a major improvement, Raiden thought. It also mean the city looked at least somewhat more normal and less dangerous, which was good considering he'd promised Ame would be safe and smoking ruins would not be conducive to that assurance.

He led them to the hospital—Karin was still asleep, thankfully—and ran into Yahiko just outside Nagato's room. He didn't look good; his hair was sticking up everywhere and there were dark shadows under his eyes.

"Thank the Sage, Raiden, he's been getting steadily worse—" He paused as he realized there was another person there holding a sleeping child. "Hello. Are you the mystery healer?"

"I do have a healing ability, yes," Nanami said guardedly, shifting Karin in her arms. "I assume he's in the room behind you?"

"He is," Yahiko said, running his hand through his hair, making it stick up even more; Raiden wondered absently when the last time he slept was.

"Right, we'll do this quickly then." Nanami handed Karin to him and entered the room, himself and Yahiko close behind. She looked irritated at the tubes that were going into his mouth and started to remove them; Yahiko made as if to move forward but Raiden held out an arm. If Nanami's ability was the same as her daughter's, the tubes wouldn't help at all. It was a bit frightening, however, when Nagato stopped breathing but there wasn't anything they could do except watch and wait.

Once they were all out, Nanami gently pulled down Nagato's lower jaw and placed her forearm between his teeth. And with a sudden movement, forced his jaw back upwards, breaking the skin. Nanami's jaw tightened and Raiden winced sympathetically—that _had_ to hurt—and it was several long moments before Nagato gasped, coughing and spluttering, blood trickling from his mouth.

Nanami sat down in the bedside chair heavily, slumping wearily; Raiden watched as the wound on her arm slowly disappeared. "You should probably call a nurse up, he still needs to stay in hospital for a while," she said; Nagato at this point was breathing normally, looking around the room with a confused, bleary expression half-hidden by bandages.

"All right. Yes, I'll do that," Yahiko said, then left the room abruptly.

"Wha—" Nagato's voice was rough, scratchy; he swallowed and tried again. "What's going on? Is that you Raiden?"

"Hey, Nagato," he said gently. "Yeah, it's me; the person sitting to your left—" Nagato turned, not having been able to see Nanami with his patch, and nodded a greeting. "She's Nanami Uzumaki; she's from Ame but wishing for a change of scenery. She was the one to heal you; you were in a coma. This is her daughter, Karin."

And as if she heard her name, Karin mumbled something and started to shift in his arms—she was waking up.

"Whass happening? Where're we?" she asked, blinking slowly. Raiden started explaining the situation to her.

"We're in the hospital at Amegakure. That's your uncle Nagato right there," he said, shifting Karin to one arm and gesturing with his other, "And he was hurt so your mommy helped make him better."

"Oh. Mama, are you okay?"

"I'm a little tired, sweetheart. I just need to go take a nap," she said, and Karin nodded, satisfied.

Yahiko came back with a nurse, then, and he proclaimed Nagato miraculously healed—except for his eye, but that wasn't really something that could be healed. Still, he was to stay in the hospital for supervision for the next couple of days.

He accepted it with little fuss; the man had the patience of a _saint_.

"Yo, Nagato, I've gotta let Nanami and Karin-chan get breakfast and crash, I'll be back soon" He turned to Yahiko. "And dude, you have to get some sleep."

"I can't; Konan's asleep right now, there's gotta be someone to keep things going—"

"Yahiko," Nagato said, a faint smile appearing. "Go sleep. I bet Konan's lonely."

Yahiko turned fire-red and Raiden snorted; he'd been aware of _something_ there but it had obviously progressed in his absence. "Nagato, there's a kid present!"

Nagato looked a little sheepish. "I apologize for that Nanami-san, I am unused to the presence of children and their hesitance has been going on for far too long."

"Just keep it in mind in the future," she said with a wry smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Nagato-san, Yahiko-san."

They responded back in kind and the four of them left Nagato to the nurses. Yahiko excused himself soon after and disappeared with a shunshin. Raiden led Nanami and Karin, the latter on her own feet now, to his apartment, and checked his cupboards for food. There wasn't much; he'd been gone for the better part of a couple months and hadn't had time to restock during his prior visit.

He did have rice, however, and porridge was simple enough to make although it was rather bland—he knew Nanami probably wouldn't mind, but he'd try to find some sugar for Karin. With breakfast in progress, he remembered the team sent to retrieve Tsunade as a backup—he should recall them as soon as he could; they needed all their available manpower in the village.

"I've got to go check up on something for a few minutes, but I'll leave a clone to help sort things out or answer any questions," he said.

"That's fine," Nanami responded, so he stepped outside and making sure he was generally out of view used the Hiraishin to jump to the group heading to Konoha.

His sudden appearance startled them; upon landing on his feet he immediately had to dodge several weapons that were thrown at him.

"Woah, guys, it's me, Raiden," he said, and they stopped attacking though were still alert.

"Prove it."

"Uh…" he thought for a moment before deciding the easiest way to prove himself was a short skill demonstration. In short: he unsealed his fuinjutsu materials from his belt, whipped out a seal tag, and handed it over; once inspected and declared authentic the entire party relaxed.

"I come bearing good news," he said. "Nagato's awake and doing well, you can return home."

He could see from their faces they didn't consider their mission wasted effort; they just seemed to be grateful that their leader was okay. Which was good; it meant the transition from Hanzou to the triumvirate was still holding stable, even through all the recent chaos.

They further professed their relief verbally, after which Raiden informed them he'd have to return to Ame immediately and requested the kunai back; the group leader who the kunai had been entrusted to had an increasingly awed expression.

"That kunai—it's—" Raiden could guess where this was going.

"Yep."

"But that's just like the—"

"Yep. I've been working on it for a while." He supposed since Tobi had already seen it, the biggest reason for keeping the ability hidden was gone and it was only a matter of time before it became somewhat-common knowledge. "Anyway, I'm off back to Ame and thank you for being willing to do this."

That said, he Hiraishin-jumped back to right outside his apartment and went back in—the clone was doing dishes so he left it to finish that—and found that Nanami and Karin were in the shower (he could hear it from the kitchen) and rolled out the spare futon he had—he'd probably be the one sleeping on it and let Nanami and Karin have his bed.

With that done, and the dishes clean, he remembered that food was a good thing to have and decided he'd get groceries—hopefully by the time he got back the bathroom would be available—and he decided that the next priority was getting them a more permanent residence.

Except he'd forgotten that a fair bit of the city was in shambles. The grocery store was fairly well-stocked, considering, but he suspected they would be a bit short on housing until everything else was repaired or rebuilt.

Coming back to his apartment, he was gratified to see that the bathroom was once again available and after putting the groceries away immediately got in the shower. The hot water felt amazing after not having properly showered for a couple days, but it allowed him to relax and that meant exhaustion was beginning to catch up to him.

Shaking it off, he got out of the shower and dried off and got dressed—there were things he had to do, and he couldn't do them while sleeping. Once he was out of the bathroom he noted that Nanami had fallen asleep and Karin was just asking his clone questions about the village. He dismissed the clone and patted her head.

"You're probably pretty excited, right?" He asked, and she nodded emphatically in the way only little kids could pull off.

"Yeah! I didn't see very much before 'cause I was asleep I think and it's a lot bigger than Kusa and the buildings are super-tall!"

"They are pretty tall, aren't they?" He agreed, amused. He wrote a note for Nanami—he didn't want her to worry if she woke up while they were still out—and motioned for Karin to follow him outside. He picked her up and jumped down to ground level—quite a bit faster than taking the stairs—and then stuck her on his shoulders, the girl giggling the whole time.

He winced a bit as she grabbed his hair for balance—that _hurt_ —and stood still so she could catch her balance without resorting to using his hair. The rebuilding needed all the hands it could get, and his reinforced clones were near indestructible.

The destroyed area was, truly, destroyed. There was rubble everywhere, some of it too big to be properly moved, and the ground was uneven, with huge divots being torn out and charred spots everywhere. Nearby buildings were coated in soot and appeared as if they were hollow shells, ready to collapse.

There were a lot of people there already—mostly civilian, the shinobi they had needed to be on missions because they couldn't afford to appear weak. But as many people as there were, he was about to double their numbers. He let go of Karin's leg for a moment and made a half-ram seal.

"Kage Bunshin no justu!"

A flood of clones appeared and a couple headed out to help each of the small groups working in different areas; it was a bit chaotic at first but they soon got the hang of it.

"That's a lot of clones," Karin said, eyes wide behind her glasses.

"Well, I have a lot of chakra," Raiden said. "Now, what do you say, we help break up these bigger chunks so they can be moved?"

"Okay!"

It wasn't overly difficult to break them up; by throwing kunai infused with wind chakra he was able to create cracks in the chunks of rubble and the weight would usually widen the cracks to the point of breaking. And Karin had great fun in picking up the smaller bits and placing them on the wagon they had to carry the rubble away.

By the time lunch rolled around they were dirty, hungry, and tired, but it was pretty fun and Raiden liked spending time with Karin; she was much happier and less cynical as an eight-year-old that she had been when he'd first met her in his previous life. Although he supposed that wasn't necessarily an age thing; at this point in her life Nanami was still alive and she hadn't met Orochimaru.

So far he'd learned that she disliked gyoza— _really_ disliked—but loved okonomiyaki. Her favorite color was purple, she thought boys were icky but he was okay since they were cousins.

They dug into their food eagerly—basic stuff, packaged rice and miso and fish, handed out to all the workers—but it was good, and there was plenty of it. Pretty soon the lunch break ended and it was back to work. Karin started flagging a couple hours after that—she was only eight, after all, and probably unused to hard labor like that. So she took to riding on the shoulders or backs of his clones, chattering away the whole time.

Nanami found them around then and Raiden realized he should probably get her registered as an Ame citizen, at least, if not a kunoichi or certified medic. He notified the task leader—who was, understandably, upset to see him go, at least until Raiden informed him the clones would be staying until the day was over—and went back to Nanami and Karin.

"Okay," he announced. "Time to make you legal."

"I should hope so," she agreed, shaking her head. Raiden wasn't sure if she was amused or just exasperated. Hopefully the former; that would be much less awkward.

"The administration building is the tallest one in the middle over there," he said, pointing in the general direction. "You can see the entire village from the top of it. Makes it pretty easy to keep an eye on things, generally. Plus, Nagato has a jutsu he uses that's pretty handy for sensing as well."

"I suppose that makes sense," Nanami agreed. "And it's fairly easily defensible, I suppose?"

"Yeah. The building is heavily reinforced—durability seals everywhere; those were a pain to do even with clones. They had to be on every wall and window. And there are only two entrances to the building, the roof and the ground floor. The windows don't open, so that's not really something we have to worry about."

"That's rather convenient," Nanami noted. "And all the administration matters are handled there?"

"Pretty much, yeah. It's got housing, citizenship, infrastructure, real estate, education administration—although the actual school is a different building—and the top couple floors are actually the housing for Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, though I sometimes crash there as well."

"About those three—do they mind being called by their first names so informally? Not a single shinobi in Kusagakure would dare call the leader by his first name, not even those who had been his peers."

"Well, I'm kind of a special case," Raiden admitted. "I barely ever use suffixes and I know people think it's a bad habit but I don't really care and after a while they don't either. But with the three of them, they didn't know their clan names for the longest time and once they did they were already fairly well-known by their first names. Plus, well, they're practically family."

"Of course," she said. "Family comes first. I'd almost forgotten what it was like, you know, to have family like this. Not many people were ever very formal in Uzushio, either."

"Really?" Raiden asked, surprised. Despite his search for knowledge regarding his clan, there wasn't much he'd been able to find about the people besides historical achievements; emotionless facts. To have someone who _knew_ those things—

"Yeah, Mama tells me stories about them every night before I go to bed," Karin piped up. "Like when ojii-san brought a mamushi home because he thought it was a akamata and got in big trouble. They said he was lucky nobody got hurt."

Raiden snorted; that was actually pretty funny, all things considered, and before he knew it they had arrived at the administration tower.

"Raiden-san!"

"Hey, Jun, how are you?" He'd learned the name, finally—it always made him feel guilty when he saw the guy manning the desk and didn't know his name. "Looking for the citizenship department, which floor is it on again?"

"Twelfth," Jun said, looking a bit awed.

"Thanks, man."

He led Nanami and Karin over to the elevators, which they rode up to floor twelve, and got the paperwork. After longer than he would have liked, it was completed, and there was only one more thing to say.

"Welcome officially to Amegakure."

* * *

 **AN: I have been so busy with all the projects going on in my head seriously. Made some stuff with art…I might have some good reference pics for the next chapter!**

 **Also: I'm going to be changing my username! All my fandom-related and art-related accounts are under usernames that are a variation of 'Rune' so I wanted to keep that consistent. New username will be 'Rune71'. I apologize for the confusion!**


	19. Chapter 19: Warning

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Settling Nanami and Karin into Amegakure didn't prove to be too difficult. Karin was school-age, and Nanami had elected to continue as a med-nin on the condition that she wasn't required to use her unique ability.

At the point they were at they'd taken over his apartment; he didn't really mind because he wasn't there all the time anyway and the futon was just as comfortable as the bed. Besides, he'd be leaving again within the next few days; they'd gotten to the point in reconstruction that untrained hands would be more a hindrance than a help and he still had one last obligation to fulfill to Kiri before his contract was over: Utakata.

As Madara's group—what were they calling themselves, now, since Akatsuki had never been turned?—had finally started making moves, he wasn't sure how soon Utakata would be targeted. But with Tobi injured so severely, their plans had probably been slightly delayed.

Putting the depressing possibility out of his mind, he started to prepare to return to his mission, restocking what supplies he could. There was really no point in returning directly to Kirigakure; the others on his team would have already explained everything—mostly—and he'd have only Zabuza's ire to face and that he could definitely do without. Besides, it would take time from his hunt for Utakata.

And he'd already spent enough time with reconstruction and with Nanami and Karin; he could always visit them later but Utakata might not have that luxury. He tried to recall where Utakata had been when he'd met him in his previous life—it was somewhere in Kirigakure; he probably wouldn't risk straying into other countries because it heightened the risk of being caught and killed—bad enough to deal with hunter-nin, but bounty hunters or enemy shinobi would be far more prevalent and harder to deal with outside of Mizu no Kuni for him.

Raiden said his goodbyes the next day, not making much of a fuss—he'd never liked protracted goodbyes, they just ended up being awkward or miserable. He set off without any further fanfare—everyone else had stuff to do as well—and headed to Mizu no Kuni. This part of the mission would no doubt require him to be in sage mode constantly—his sensing range was larger than it had ever been, and it would be the fastest way to sense any unfamiliar chakra.

Isobu might be able to help as well; so when he set up camp the first night he began to meditate.

" _Isobu?"_ he asked, once he'd found himself in the underwater cave. The water was lukewarm, actually a fairly comfortable temperature, and the current was just strong enough to push his hair to one side. The mild conditions he took as a good sign. " _Are you able to sense the others?"_

" _To a limited extent, yes,"_ Isobu replied, _"but not that of your own sensing abilities, especially when sealed inside a jinchuuriki."_

Raiden cursed quietly. _"Would have made things a lot easier. Well, nothing worth anything is ever easy."_

" _Wise words from one so young."_

Raiden laughed bitterly. _"I heard it somewhere. I wouldn't know, it's not like I've ever had anything be really easy in my life."_

" _That may be so—but think of what you have accomplished as a result."_

Raiden laughed again, this time feeling more positive. _"You're right, of course. Thanks, Isobu!"_

He came up out of his meditative trance; he'd need proper sleep for the task ahead. And proper sleep he got; by the time he woke the next morning he was fully refreshed and had full chakra, something that had been rare over the past week.

Finding it much easier to balance nature chakra when his own stores were full, it was just moments before he was in full sage mode and set off towards the south: just as a precaution, he'd decided to swing by the cave harboring the Gedo Mazo statue—the cave that had been the Akatsuki's hideout in his past life.

It was a good thing he did. The cave _was_ still Madara's hideout—the massive void of all chakra was an obvious indicator that _something_ wasn't right—but that also meant he couldn't tell if Utakata was within the barrier or not. Thankfully, Isobu's ability came in handy there—he confirmed that traces of Saiken's chakra remained in the area, also confirming Raiden's worst fears in the process.

He'd managed to prevent Nagato and Konan from joining, and his team had killed Kisame, but he knew he'd been lucky in his brief clash with Tobi. And assuming the rest of the members from the past future's Akatsuki were a part of this timeline's version—it wasn't even remotely possible for him to take all of them on and rescue Nagato. And there was no possible way for him to be revived; the only ways Raiden knew that would be possible required the sacrifice of another and he couldn't ask that of anyone.

He'd _failed._ Utakata was _dead_. He hadn't had to remain in Ame—sure, it was all well and good to help rebuild—but Utakata was _dead._

No, that wasn't right. The barrier was still up; the traces of Saiken's chakra were at most a day or two old. He wasn't dead yet, he was currently undergoing the extraction process. He was being _tortured._

Raiden half-choked a hysterical laugh. He hadn't known Utakata well, had only interacted with him for a scant few hours—but he'd admired the man's resolve and firm resolve and demeanor. And to think he was being _tortured_ on his way to _death_ —

Raiden was forced to wait for an agonizing fourteen hours until the barrier wavered, allowing a powerful, malevolent chakra to radiate from the cave. He snapped out of his half-doze, immediately alert, and instinctually went into sage mode, using the nature chakra to obscure his own chakra signature. Only two figures actually exited the cave—Kakuzu and Hidan, great—but Kakuzu had Utakata's body slung over his shoulder, for a bounty no doubt, and Raiden had determined that though he couldn't have saved him the least he _could_ do was give him a proper burial.

If he timed it right he'd be able to nab Utakata's body and return to Kiri using a series of Hiraishin jumps and running with sage-speed, eventually ending back at the Hiraishin seal he'd left disguised in Honoka's apartment. He just needed to prep a body storage scroll—it would enable him to transport it along with himself using the Hiraishin—and with his sage speed he could probably pull it off.

It would be best to wait at least until they'd gotten out of the range of the heavy, dark chakra, though—he didn't know how good Madara's sensing abilities were and he didn't want to take any chances.

He followed them, then, using all the stealth techniques he'd been taught to avoid detection. It was hours later when he finally saw an opening—they'd paused in order for Hidan to relieve himself—Raiden wasn't sure how that worked, given he was kind of undead, but put it out of his mind and withdrew the body storage scroll from his pocket, along with a Hiraishin kunai from his pouch.

After charging up sage mode, he whipped the kunai towards Kakuzu and as it passed Kakuzu he jumped, left hand closing around the kunai's hilt and his right hand with an the open scroll. He pushed the seal down, activating it as soon as it touched Utakata's body.

For less than a second he made eye contact —Kakuzu's eyes widening in shock and rage—and then he jumped again, back to the kunai he'd left a kilometer or so behind. He hastily shoved it in his pouch and _ran._ Along the way when he'd encounter an obstacle—a chasm, river, something like that—he'd Hiraishin to the other side of it. After nearly a full day of it, he allowed himself to rest for a few hours, now nearly at the border of Hi no Kuni.

For nearly a week he did so, until he could feel the pull of the Hiraishin seal he'd left in Kiri and jumped for the last time, crashing into the wall at Honoka's apartment.

For a moment he just laid on his back, exhausted and stunned, then Honoka ran into the room.

"What on— _Raiden?"_

"Owww," he said, tilting his head up to see her properly, though she appeared to be upside-down from his position.

"How did you _get_ here? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," he responded, wincing as he sat up. While a bruised face and ribs was preferable to, say, getting gutted by a three-bladed scythe or having his heart torn out, it still _hurt_. "As for how I got here—well. You know that jutsu I was working on before I left? It was the Hiraishin."

"I'm sorry," she said bluntly. "Run that by me again? It almost sounded like you said you'd recreated one of the single most infamous jutsu of the past two decades."

"…Yes?"

She shook her head. "Yeah, okay, I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore. Raiden can do the impossible, got it. Now, Zabuza's been waiting rather impatiently for you and you better have a _good_ reason for making him wait."

"Don't worry, I do." His more lighthearted demeanor dropped. "I've got some bad news, too. Are you going to come with?"

"Might as well. Day off today—more like we were all suspended until you returned."

"Ah, sorry about that. Should have realized." He finally stood, stowing the storage scroll in a pocket and the kunai still in his hand in his pouch. He prodded his face gently—by the time they reached Zabuza's office he'd probably have lovely bruises but he didn't want to postpone the meeting by getting healed. But it was with no small amount of amusement that he noticed Honoka strapping Samehada on her back before they set out.

And sure enough, as soon as he walked into Zabuza's office the man gave him a hard look, tinged with skepticism.

"Uzumaki. Glad you could finally make it. In front of my desk, now, and explain yourself."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama," Raiden said; it was not the time for levity. "While in combat with Kisame's partner, the nukenin said something to make me believe my home village was in danger and I left to verify that after both nukenin had been defeated and Samehada recovered. The village had indeed been attacked but I was able to assist in recovery."

He paused, trying to decide how to word the next bit. "Kisame…he was working with an organization. I don't know their name. But I know their goals. They want to obtain a certain bloodline—it was for that reason my village was attacked—and they also want to obtain the bijuu." He took a deep breath.

"And that's why, after I ensured the safety of my village, I went to find Utakata. Unfortunately, I was too late."

With his last statement he'd reached into his pocket to withdraw the storage scroll containing Utakata's body and laid it gently on Zabuza's desk. He bowed, dogeza-style.

"I apologize deeply for my inability to fulfill my end of the contract."

He heard Honoka's horrified gasp but remained still and tense. Several moments later the tense silence broke.

"Uzumaki, get up."

He stood.

"When we first agreed to this deal, I asked you to bring me the six-tails jinchuuriki. You haven't done that. However, due to your stellar record thus far, I have decided to postpone the deadline for this task indefinitely. Come find me again once you've completed your end of the bargain."

Raiden stared at Zabuza in amazement. The man was standing by the window to the side of his desk, looking out; his face was in profile and his expression was hard; his posture stiff. If he was interpreting that last statement correctly, Zabuza had just let him off the hook.

"I understand, Mizukage-sama," he said, bowing once more. That was a huge weight off his shoulders. "Thank you for your generosity."

"Just go, Uzumaki, I don't have time for your ridiculousness right now."

He left without saying anything more, Honoka close behind, and once out of the admin building he turned to Honoka with a smile. "Hey, well, at least I don't have to worry about hunter-nin tracking me down."

"You're not worried? At all?" Honoka asked.

"About what?"

She looked a bit annoyed at this point. "Oh, I don't know, some shady organization that is hunting down the jinchuuriki—on of which you are—and apparently has the skills to actually do it?"

"I'm less concerned about myself than I am about others—Naruto, the seven tails, and the one-tail. They're the youngest. And I _know_ the organization."

"You've mentioned that before," Honoka said thoughtfully. "What do you _mean_ by that?"

Was it time to include her in his secret as well? So far he had the Hokage, Shisui, and Nagato, Konan and Yahiko. But they were close, and he thought she deserved to know for putting up with everything he'd put her through.

"So, I guess it's story time. Find a comfortable spot, because it's a long one."

* * *

"You're _Naruto_."

"I _was_ Naruto. Now I'm Raiden."

"And _Madara?_ "

"Yes."

"And you're still not worried?"

"Not for myself, no."

"Okay, but still. At least tell me you have a plan to stop these guys? Or at least an idea. You can't just play a defensive battle the whole time," Honoka pointed out. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Not anything specific," he explained. "In my defense they made real moves much later in the other timeline; it's four years earlier now than when they began to be really active. And I've already weakened their power base considerably, with Ame not under their control and the Uchiha still being alive. Not to mention, when I first got to this timeline I had absolutely no background. Can't exactly put together a counter-terrorist squad without credentials."

"You've got Ame, Konoha, and Kiri backing you now. I'm sure you could get some sort of diplomatic immunity to at least _warn_ the other jinchuuriki, right?"

"Possibly. Not sure how well it would go over with Iwa or Kumo, considering their view on Konoha and Uzumaki, but I'll try it."

It was quiet for a while, Raiden contemplating the future and Honoka no doubt continuing to digest the earth-shattering revelations he'd dropped on her.

"So what next?"

"Now that's the question, isn't it?" He said. "Of course, I'm going to be warning the other nations about Madara's little band, but after that? Probably explore. Train. Find more Uzumaki. The Kage can worry about a task force; there's not much I can do by myself and I certainly can't force the Kage to agree to send their shinobi to their possible deaths. At least they'll be on their guard."

"And that's all we can hope for at this point."

"Yeah."

* * *

Since Kiri and Konoha were already aware, he needed to warn Taki, Kumo, Iwa, and Suna— although for convenience it would be best to travel first to Kumo, then west to Taki and then Iwa, and south to Suna and from there northeast to Ame and Konoha, just to check up and visit.

Kumo…wasn't terrible. Of course, he'd covered his hair with a bandana, and with a backpack obscuring the Uzumaki swirl on the back of his jacket and his Ame symbol on his shoulder, he got a few odd looks but nothing hateful.

Inevitably, he'd picked up a tail or two on his way up to the Raikage's office; he was a foreign shinobi and that automatically placed him under suspicion. But he was admitted in. Probably, however, because Bee was also there acting as bodyguard. Not that the Raikage wasn't plenty intimidating by himself, but Bee was extra security.

It was really odd seeing him so young, though; his cheekbones weren't so prominent and he lacked the facial hair Raiden remembered.

"Raikage-sama," he murmured, bowing low—he'd prefer just to greet him informally but he couldn't reflect badly on Amegakure. "I come bearing information my leaders have elected necessary to share with you."

Ay squinted at him suspiciously. "Alright, let's hear it then. If I don't like it or don't believe you I'll throw you out the window."

Frowning at the possibility of defenestration, he began his explanation quickly. "Our village was recently attacked by a man calling himself 'Madara'. He was able to steal something of great worth from us which—"

And suddenly Ay was in front of him, one massive hand holding him up by his collar. Raiden swallowed nervously; he hadn't quite been expecting that. Good thing he'd hidden a Hiraishin kunai just outside the village borders.

"Madara's _dead_. Gone. You lie to me again, and you're gonna be just as dead when you leave this village."

"I'm not lying," Raiden reiterated, and Ay shook him. His head rattled.

"Ay, bro, that ain't cool. The kid's not lying, hear? Ya fool."

 _Thank you Bee._ Ay set him down roughly, now utterly serious. "You better tell me everything you know, kid."

"Yes, Raikage-sama. A man going by Madara, along with several other prominent nukenin—outlined in this scroll—" he held out a copy of the scroll containing information on Madara's gang that he'd made, which was picked up by a masked shinobi, checked over for traps, and then placed on the Raikage's desk— "attacked Amegakure. At a similar time, I encountered one of their compatriots and he divulged that one of their goals was to collect the bijuu. As such, I found it prudent to inform you of this threat."

"You mean to say that 'several' of these shinobi, along with this 'Madara' attacked Amegakure. So what, six, seven of them had the guts to take on an entire village? And you just happened to run into one and fight him off and get information from him? Just who are you, kid?"

"My name is Raiden," he said, hoping Ay wouldn't pry, but of course he had no such luck.

"Clan name?"

"Uzumaki." Of course, he could have lied—but really, there wasn't much point. He took the headband off too—it had felt _weird_ —letting his hair poof back up into its usual spiky mess.

Ay looked disgusted, whereas Bee was merely curious. "As your news has been delivered, _Uzumaki,_ you may leave now."

"Yo, bro, I'll see him go," Bee added, surprising both Ay and Raiden. But Ay permitted it—probably because he wanted to make sure he'd actually left the village—and they left the office together.

As they walked through the streets, people came up and greeted Bee, who greeted them back happily in rhyme. Had it always been so for him? Were jinchuuriki treated as celebrities, rather than outcasts here? Or had Bee managed to overcome the stigma of being a jinchuuriki through sheer force of personality?

When they reached the gates, Bee turned to him, extending a fist towards him and Raiden was honored to be given such a sign of respect, despite Bee knowing almost nothing about him in this current timeline. He smiled. "You know, you're a cool guy. Hate to say goodbye."

"Then I guess for now it's see you later?" He closed his hand into a fist and bumped it against Bee's, smiling wider when Bee's expression morphed into surprise. "Hachi-san."

With a brief salute, turned and started walking. He had more villages to warn, after all.

* * *

Taki was next on the list and he was a little worried. The village was well-hidden; if he just barged in they'd immediately be suspicious and nothing he said would be considered legitimate or truthful. But Fuu was probably the most vulnerable jinchuuriki and so he couldn't afford that.

His best bet? Tagging along with a returning team. How he was going to manage that, he didn't know. In his future past, they'd had a mission there, and had been invited—but he couldn't imagine getting a joint mission between Ame and Taki; they were just too newly established as a stable village and their influence on a more international scale was hardly established, even with their alliance with Konoha.

So he'd hang out in the general area, using disguised shadow clones to patrol, which would also let him keep a lookout for any neo-Akatsuki (he couldn't think of a better name)if they approached. After a couple weeks of this—he was never going to eat another ration bar again, if he could help it, even if he had to invent a new seal to store food—he spotted not just a returning team but two Akatsuki right on their tails. They hadn't noticed the neo-Akatsuki, but Raiden could sense them, and their chakras were familiar.

The two zombies, Kakuzu and Hidan. He'd be stretched to his limit battling these two; he couldn't afford to let any fodder fight in case Kakuzu gained more hearts; his clones could potentially fix that but there was also Hidan to worry about. Clones would work against him as well, but even with his chakra reserves he wouldn't be able to fight them both at the same time and win. His previous rasenshuriken had taken out two of Kakuzu's hearts, but that had been in the other future past and he'd grown since then—but they were more aware of his abilities than future past Kakuzu had been, and no doubt Madara had moved him up to priority number one after the stunt he'd pulled with Tobi.

He had to warn the Taki team; he'd hold off the zombies so they could go ahead to warn their village. He ran through the trees, green blurring past, and landed in a crouch in front of the Taki team.

"You've got a tail," he announced brusquely. They seemed wary at first, and then offended, gripping at their weapons.

"I think we'd know if we had a tail," one said, probably the leader—he looked to be a bit older, maybe around thirty, thirty-five. "I'm not some rookie. Now, identify yourself."

Pride. The biggest killer of shinobi.

"Raiden. Amegakure. I'm trying to help here, and I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears rookie either. You've got big trouble headed right for you—" and oh, there was a different, less suspicious way to spin it "—I've been tracking them for a while, keeping tabs, and just thought I'd try to save your lives but apparently not."

It was a frustrating, not being taken seriously. He'd had enough of that during his childhood; he wasn't going to put up with it now.

"Look, you can listen to or not, but I'm telling you, there are two S-rank nukenin coming right at us, and if you want to die, that's your choice. Just don't get between us." He entered sage mode once more, partially for the intimidation factor but mostly because a clone had popped: they were _close_.

" _You snot-nosed—"_

And then it was too late, because they were _right there_ and the idiot jonin was dead, his two subordinates frozen in horrified shock.

Acting quickly, two of Raiden's clones used kawarimi to get them out of immediate killing range, and shouted at them to _"Just get moving already, idiots!"_

They dispelled, along with all of Raiden's extra clones, and he assimilated and adjusted the chakra now returned to him. He made just a handful of fresh clones, about five of which started herding Hidan away, the other three with him against Kakuzu. His clones just had to keep Hidan occupied until Kakuzu was dealt with; they'd be fine as long as they didn't all get popped but with the nature chakra absorption ability they should be able to respawn any clones that did get popped, as long as they didn't all pop at once. In any case, he had to focus—Kakuzu was his opponent currently, and it looked as if he was about to engage his Earth Grudge Fear ability—his cloak and shirt had come off and he was hunched over, the masks bulging from his back. It wasn't any less grotesque the second time—possibly more so, actually, since he hadn't realized the monsters had actually been in Kakuzu's body.

He watched, horrified, as the monsters burst from Kakuzu's back and expanded into somewhat familiar shapes, four of them standing in line with Kakuzu. Just great. He formed another clone—that made four, and they split up into two pairs, each of which targeted a mask creature. Too many more and they wouldn't be durable enough to take even a single hit; it was a fragile balance between quality and quantity.

"The Uzumaki brat, of course," Kakuzu said, his voice carrying easily, even over the sound of his clones and the mask creatures.

"Uzumaki, yes. Brat, no," Raiden said, withdrawing a handful of Hiraishin kunai. He tossed all but one of them in a fan in front of him, landing with their points buried in the dirt. One remained in his hand, which he used less than a second later to block one of Kakuzu's threads. His speed surprised him—he'd mostly fought long-range the previous time he'd faced off against him and the only other opponent Raiden had fought recently with a similar level of speed was Shisui. But with Sage Mode and the Hiraishin, he was pretty sure he'd be okay. The Hiraishin also allowed him somewhat of an element of unpredictability; Kakuzu would know where the teleport points were—the knives—but the chakra trace couldn't be tracked and he'd never be able to tell from which one Raiden would appear.

It was time to begin the fight in earnest. Coating his kunai with wind chakra, he whipped him arm out, releasing the kunai with maximum force—it smashed right through the center of the mask of one of the beasts. One heart down, four to go—and then Kakuzu ripped the heart out of the idiot jonin's body and shoved it into the no-longer writhing mass of threads which promptly came alive once more, the mask liquefying and re-solidifying completely whole.

"Not very fresh or high-quality, but an adequate replacement," Kakuzu said. His voice was calm; he was completely unworried about the fight and that was not a good sign. Raiden took a moment to glance at his clones—they were doing a decent job of distracting some of the other mask monsters and none of them had popped yet.

He pulled another kunai out—an ordinary one this time—and braced himself. Chain jumping with Hiraishin was difficult, he had to plan out exactly where he was going to go and shove out staccato bursts of chakra precisely at the right time. He breathed deep— _in, out_ —then jumped, switching between Hiraishin points fast enough that his image blurred, leaving an illusion of himself by each one. He managed to take out the same mask he'd smashed the first kunai through, though he'd had to approach closer because of the Hiraishin and the threads had managed to leave some sort of puncture wound on his arm. But while painful it didn't impede his movements so he kept at it. He managed to kill a second monster as well, this time aiming from the back and coating his kunai in chakra to reinforce it.

By this time, though really only less than half a minute had passed, Kakuzu had assessed the situation and moved out of the range of the kunai littering the ground, both the remaining mask monsters following him. It meant he had to resort to a method other that the Hiraishin to defeat them, but that was actually what he'd been hoping for—even with his ridiculous amounts of chakra even he couldn't keep up the Hiraishin for more than a few minutes. Instead, two of the clones had charged up a rasenshuriken, and as he'd entered sage mode he took the spinning, screeching mass of chakra from them, steadied it, then _threw_ the thing.

It was fast, managing to catch and destroy both remaining thread monsters, but Kakuzu was faster—he came out from the explosion right in front of Raiden and he jumped back to one of the farther Hiraishin kunai, narrowly having avoided a hand to the chest. He'd had that happen once and had absolutely _no_ desire to repeat the experience, thank-you-very-much.

He quickly reassessed the situation: injured arm, no clones left—they'd exhausted their chakra stores—and only Kakuzu to fight. But in his current state Kakuzu was impossible to injure physically and there was no way he'd hit him with a distance jutsu; the ancient nukenin was just too fast.

The only viable option was to hit him close-range with a ninjutsu piercing attack, like Kakashi-sensei had done. Unfortunately, Raiden hadn't ever learned to harness lightning elemental chakra. And because Kakuzu was still out of the range of the Hiraishin, he couldn't just jump right up to him, he'd have to approach him. But if he tried to attack like that he'd be dodged easily— he'd have to bait him.

He spiked his chakra then let the sage mode drop, and feigning exhaustion he swayed on his feet. Truth be told, his chakra levels were a bit lower than he'd have liked to admit; it was odd not to have Kurama's chakra to fall back on at times like this. But as he'd thought, Kakuzu capitalized on his 'weakness' and had him pinned in seconds, his limbs splayed uncomfortably, a crushing weight that was Kakuzu preventing him from breathing properly. Kakuzu struck his face, blurring his vision and something else cracking.

"I'm pleased to have the opportunity to take your heart, Uzumaki," Kakuzu said. "Don't find many of your caliber, and as long as the head's intact I'll still receive the bounty."

 _Come on, come on…._

"Say your goodbyes, _brat_. I'm going to enjoy—" Raiden swore as Kakuzu's body fell forward and blood leaked onto his face, uncomfortably warm and sticky on his skin.

"I was _one second_ away from dying, couldn't you have come sooner?" he snapped.

"Sorry Boss," his clone replied, shoving the body off and helping him up. "Wasn't sure what the spike meant until I saw you pinned. Anyhow, that's Kakuzu down. That looked nasty."

" _Felt_ nasty. M'dizzy and I think my ribs are bruised; no idea what that dude was eating because he was _heavy_."

"Don't know what to tell ya, Boss. You good for another fight?"

Raiden glanced over to the idiot jonin's body. That was what he had to prevent from happening to the anyone else, to Fuu—the girl was what, eight? Lonely. Just wanting a friend.

"I have to be. Let's go."

Now how had Shikamaru defeated him? He'd blown him up, hadn't he? Because Hidan literally couldn't die, so the only way to defeat him was to destroy his body. But Raiden was still dizzy, and he couldn't control his chakra nearly at all—good thing he'd gone out of sage mode. It was likely he had a concussion, and to be entirely honest he was in no fit state to actually fight; making more clones would be risky at best because they would be in the same condition. So he had to make do with the three remaining clones—two had already popped during his fight with Kakuzu.

But that was all he needed. Unsealing a rather generous amount of explosion tags from his belt, he handed them to the clone that was still next to him.

"Go give those to the others as well, go _fast_ —using the Hiraishin if needed—and cover Hidan with them. Then detonate them, but make sure at least one of you is out of range first."

"Got it, Boss!"

Only one person could use the Hiraishin at a time—it wasn't necessarily any chakra or jutsu-related limitation but the simple fact that several bodies moving independently at high speeds greatly increased the likelihood of them crashing into each other. So with him out of the fight, he could allow one of his clones to use it. And one clone would have to stay out just in case the plan failed.

But watching his clones tagging Hidan with the paper tags, he felt as though there was a good chance of him coming out victorious. Another, another—one of his clones popped and the tags it had had were on the ground. The second clone exhausted its store of tags and the final clone, the one he'd given instructions to, made a hand sign.

 _Boom._

It was the largest explosion from tags that he'd ever seen, and with it came the smell of charred flesh and he nearly gagged, already having been feeling slightly nauseous.

"Oi! Look what you did, scum!"

 _He was still alive?_

As the smoke cleared, Raiden saw what was left of Hidan and breathed a sigh of relief. His legs were gone, or at least not attached or entirely whole, as were his arms. Most of his upper body was intact, but covered in burns and it was really not a pleasant sight.

He chucked a scroll at his last remaining clone.

"Seal him up, would you? And collect all the Hiraishin kunai, please."

"Sure thing, boss."

A few minutes later he had Hidan, the scythe, and his Hiraishin kunai in his possession, and had picked up the idiot jonin's body as well and headed in the direction of Taki.

* * *

 **AN: Meant to post this yesterday but it wasn't actually finished…yeah.**


	20. Chapter 20: Problem-Solving

**AN: I don't own Naruto.**

 **Also—sorry for the wait, guys. This last semester was** _ **insane**_ **. 17 credits plus a part-time job. Thank you all for believing in me, and enjoy the story!**

* * *

Concussion-induced dizziness did not help with either carrying a corpse or navigation. Despite the handicap, however, he soon found himself sitting outside the largest waterfall he'd ever seen. He'd been there once before, of course, but memories lost detail over time and the waterfall awed him once again. He didn't have long to admire it before Taki shinobi started popping up from the river. He held his fingers up in a tired "V" and let his arm fall again, completely exhausted. If they decided take him in he wouldn't be doing much resisting.

But his good luck had decided to step in for once, and the two shinobi leading the group were the two he'd saved earlier, making the likelihood of the group being a rescue mission rather than a capture or kill mission much greater. They stopped abruptly upon catching sight of him, then were nudged into movement again by a thin-faced man wearing a sneer. As they came closer, a different man stepped ahead, authority visible in his posture.

"Uzumaki Raiden," he said slowly. "A shinobi claiming to be from Ame, and mysterious on all accounts. I must thank you, however, for the saving of two of my shinobi and the return of the third. That being said, I must ask you what you had hoped to accomplish in our land."

"Was tracking a couple of nukenin," he stated—it was the reason he'd given the two he'd saved. "As well as trying to give you some info, which is kind of sensitive so I'd recommend moving somewhere a little more private."

The thin-faced man butted in then. "He's just another enemy, don't you see, Hisen-dono?"

"What are you talking about?!" Raiden heard; the younger of the two he'd saved was defending him. "He's the only reason we're still alive right now!"

Raiden smiled, but his mood soured as thin-face started talking again.

"He could have set the whole thing up—he could be faking right now!"

"Suien-san, please be silent. You as well, Jun-kun." Hisen turned back to him. "Uzumaki-san, because of the service you have done today, you will be allowed to enter our village to seek healing and to deliver your information." Hisen's expression turned sharp and brittle. "But know this: if Suien-san has been correct in any of his assumptions, you will die."

"Understood," Raiden responded, and attempted to stand with little success until he found Jun supporting him on his left. "Thanks, kid."

"Least I could do," he muttered, face tinted red.

One of the others picked up idiot-jonin's body and they started making their way to the waterfall, then through it. He struggled the whole way—sometimes his feet would sink under the water's surface, and sometimes he'd push the water away, soaking those around him; very rarely did his foot lay flat on the water's surface. Then came the underwater tunnel. He looked at the dark pools with distaste; there was no way he was going to be able to swim that by himself, not without being able to use his chakra. Maybe he would make a seal to filter out oxygen from the water? Something to consider for later.

"Here," Jun said. "Keep hold of my hand and hold your breath; I'll pull you along."

"Sounds nice," Raiden said, and took a deep breath and braced himself for the icy water. Once they were fully submerged he tried kicking a bit, just to help speed things up, but promptly quit after Jun looked back, annoyed.

Just as Raiden's lungs were starting to burn, they surfaced, only a few meters away from the shore. The water, now that he saw it in better light, was a greenish color, like hot springs, but it wasn't hot.

"To the infirmary," Jun said, and proceeded to pull him to shore where he was able to somewhat stand on his feet. From there it was a short walk to the infirmary—only a few buildings away—and he got settled onto one of the medical beds, waiting for a healer-nin who fortunately arrived soon after.

Hisen sat down with him as the healer-nin worked on him, dismissing the others.

"So, information?" He queried, spine straight and expression stony. Raiden hummed in affirmation before delivering his message.

"There's a group of ninja skulking around the Elemental Nations," he said. "I don't know what they're called; nobody I've talked with knows either. We do know, however, most of their members, their leader, and their goals.

"The easiest to explain is the last one, so I'll start with that. They plan to capture all of the bijuu, regardless of whether or not they have a jinchuuriki. And they have the power to back it up, though their forces have been depleted as late. Partially because of concerted efforts between Ame and different Nations—but I'm getting off topic. Basically, I just came to warn you to keep a good eye on your jinchuuriki. Make sure they can take care of themselves against SS-class nukenin, because that's who they'll be up against."

His head now healed enough to access chakra (even if his control was still wobbly) he unsealed another of the scrolls of compiled information on the neo-Akatsuki from his belt and handed it over.

"This has as much information as we've gotten on them. Bit of the information might be out of date because of the run-in with the two of them outside…Kakuzu and Hidan. Hey—wasn't Kakuzu from here originally?"

Hisen's eyes widened. "You killed _Kakuzu_?"

"Hood, Taki hitai, got creepy eyes, weird mask-things that come up from his mask, string-tentacles everywhere. Yeah, he's dead now."

"Do you have proof of this?" Hisen asked, and Raiden rummaged through his pockets, withdrawing a scroll with black tips.

"All the proof right here. You can open it up, but I'll want it back—there's a bounty on his head, after all."

Hisen took the scroll and unsealed it to check—and then yelled swears filled the air, what remained of Hidan still apparently just as incensed as when his clone had sealed him in.

"Whoops. Wrong scroll." Hisen re-sealed it, raising an inquiring eyebrow, which Raiden pretended not to see. He withdrew the other black-tipped scroll from his pocket as Hisen resealed Hidan's body. This one was the right one, showing Kakuzu's mostly-recognizable features.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to claim this," Hisen said. "As a nukenin of Takigakure, his body rightfully belongs to us."

 _Seriously?_

"To the victor go the spoils, Hisen-san, and I nearly died taking him down. Worker's comp."

"Let's cut out the middleman entirely, then. We will pay you for his body."

Raiden blinks. Taki isn't the most well-off of all the Hidden Villages, but he did originally come without having expected any monetary gain. Plus, he was starting to feel kind of bad about pushing the issue.

"Sure…?"

So they ended up spending the next ten minutes negotiating prices and hashing things out, before finally coming to a conclusion. Which, apparently, included a feast. There were a lot of people, most of which were older. The youngest, he noticed, was sitting next to Shibuki, Hisen's son—someone he remembered from when he'd visited as a genin—and it was Fu.

Raiden was seated across the table from her, having been sat on Hisen's left as a guest, and eagerly took the opportunity to talk with both Shibuki and Fu.

"Shibuki, right?" He asked. "And I didn't get your name?"

"Im Fu!" she exclaimed happily, in a manner not unlike Naruto would have. "I'm eight years old, and it's my goal to make one-hundred friends!"

"Fu," Shibuki interrupted, sounding a bit exasperated. "You can't just be friends with anyone, they could be an enemy for all you know. But not you, Uzumaki-san, of course." The last bit was added hurriedly and Raiden laughed.

"No problem, man, you're just trying to keep an eye on her, right? I do the same thing with my little cousin—he's the same age. And no formal stuff, please, it's just Raiden. Us Uzumaki—we're not big on formality."

"Then thank you, Raiden."

"Mmhmm. And you, short-stack," He said, turning to Fu. "I'd be glad to be one of your friends. Any Uzumaki would, I'm sure. You ever see someone with red hair like me, just tell them Raiden said they'd be your friend."

Her eyes were wide. "Really?"

"Sure. There's a whole bunch of us, too, so if you meet all of us you'll have at least seven more friends. At least of the ones we've been able to gather so far."

"So, what do you mean gather?" Shibuki asked. "And are the Uzumaki a new clan?"

Raiden frowned. "No, actually. You know that Konoha was the first of the hidden villages, yeah? Well that's because the head of the Uchiha and Senju clans decided enough was enough and banded together, becoming one big force that attracted other smaller clans. What has been somewhat forgotten is that there was another clan just as powerful as those two. This clan was the Uzumaki." He paused and took a drink.

"Because of their location—just off the coast of Hi no Kuni—and their dislike for politics and reluctance for senseless war, they had mostly kept to themselves up until that point, attacking only in retribution or as a way to keep others off their backs. But anyway—the Uzumaki were actually a really powerful clan. Mito Uzumaki even married the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

"During the Second Great Shinobi war, however, Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri declared a temporary truce and, working together, managed to overpower Uzushiogakure, and thinking that they had destroyed the Uzumaki clan, razed Uzushio to the ground. But we didn't all die, and my life's mission is to find all the scattered Uzumaki and reunite them."

Both Fu and Shibuki looked awed at this point and as he looked around, it seemed as if nearly the entire half of the table that could hear him had been listening as well. Hisen laughed boisterously in the relative quiet.

"We need more shinobi like you, boy! Loyal to clan and country, willing to work as hard as they can to get things done!"

He hadn't been telling his story for Hisen, but appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. At least he'd managed to cement himself as an upstanding citizen in Hisen's eyes, as well as probably a non-threat. That was always good. Good relations were important for peace, no matter how unintentional or complicated.

"Thank you, Hisen-dono," he accepted, ducking his head briefly.

The feast was over shortly, but as it was late he accepted Hisen's offer to spend the night in Taki. The next morning he was escorted out politely but firmly by a few Taki shinobi—not before discreetly handing one of his Hiraishin kunai with Fu, telling her to push chakra into it if she was ever in trouble— but he didn't mind, he had to move on. To Iwa.

He was unsure of how to handle Iwa diplomatically before remembering the Tsuchikage was Onoki, possibly the most crotchety and stubborn old men he'd ever met. So he figured he'd dispense with diplomacy and go straight for the throat.

With that resolution in mind, he went straight up to the city, ignoring the guards and marching up to Onoki's office.

"Hello, Tsuchikage," he said with a sardonic bow, low enough that Onoki could see the spiral on his back. "I've come to warn you. There is a group of nukenin—"

"UZUMAKI!" Onoki shouted, his entire face red now and not just his nose.

"Yes, great, I am an Uzumaki good guess. Moving on, there's a group of nukenin after—"

But then the Iwa version of the ANBU started storming in and Raiden pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Tell Han and Roshi to watch out, all right?" He said, making sure Onoki heard him. "Name's Raiden, nice meeting you, and be sure to read this, okay?" Message somewhat delivered, he tossed Onoki the info scroll he'd given to all the other leaders, this one edited to reflect the recent death of Kakuzu and incapacitation of Hidan. And then he teleported out to the Hiraishin kunai he'd left outside the village, savoring the look on Onoki's face.

He cracked up as soon as he was out of the village, using shunshin to put more space between him and the village. Now only Suna was left, and there he planned on doing a bit more than just delivering his message. Hopefully he'd be able to obtain permission to fix Gaara's seal, but if he was honest with himself he was going to do it, permission or not.

Suna was almost directly south of Iwa; it would be a straight shot if he didn't make a pit stop in Ame, which was just east of his path. But it was better to get the message passed on sooner rather than later, so to Suna it was.

It was still rocky and mountainous even through Yama no Kuni, the small country between Tsuchi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni, and didn't start getting sandy until a several kilometers into Kaze no Kuni. And then it was straight desert.

What made it more exciting was the wind that started blowing during his second day, and mid-afternoon he could see a massive red wall on the horizon. _Not good_. Sandstorm incoming—and there was no cover anywhere in sight.

He knelt hurriedly, unsealing his supplies. Goggles—for once using them for their intended purpose—and a mask. No chance of creating a barrier; any seal would be broken as soon as the sand shifted. Cloak might help though—he pulled it on, re-sealing everything, and hunkered down, pulling his hood low and tight and wrapping the loose ends of the cloak under his legs so he was completely covered. It was stifling, but rather that than being flayed alive by flying sand, or suffocation from breathing it in.

Just in time, too; the wind _hit_ with a vengeance, sounding similar to Kurama roaring, except it _just kept going_. On, and on, until he wasn't sure where he ended and the storm began.

Until, suddenly, it faded, getting quieter slowly until it was just a dull drone. He stood slowly, sand pouring off him and finding its way inside his clothes. The storm had moved on, still visible in the distance.

He was tired and gritty, joints stiff from what had to be at least several hours of sitting waiting for the storm to pass. He wanted nothing more than to reach Suna quickly, and be able to clean up and sleep. It took a few days—thankfully without any other sandstorms—to reach the village—this time acting as an official ambassador for Ame.

As his arrival was unexpected by the Kazekage, he was housed in a building near the administration building—it was like an embassy, but temporary rather than permanent, and presently seemed to be unoccupied, which was convenient. Then again, Suna was beginning to enter their economic slump and wasn't a prime candidate for alliances at the moment.

Once he'd bathed and eaten—Suna food was very flavorful, as if to make up for the blandness of its surroundings—he decided to wander. It was a bit cooler in the city proper; though the surrounding walls blocked the wind they also provided shade, which was especially helpful in the late afternoon, making the entire basin just that much less hot. He'd even forgone his jacket—he'd never really burned in the sun, so without the threat of an impending sandstorm having the extra layer gone made him feel less stifled.

And to be honest, the heat wasn't that bad—it was at least comparable to Hi no Kuni, where it didn't get quite as hot but was much more humid. It was actually kind of nice, with the heat acting somewhat like a sauna. Somewhat relaxing.

Or at least until he spotted a small redheaded boy sitting on a swing, clutching a stuffed tanuki and morosely watching other children playing ball. The other swing was empty.

Well that wouldn't do, now would it? He stuck his hands in his pockets and ambled over to the swing set, plopping down on the empty swing. He started swinging, tucking his legs awkwardly so they wouldn't drag on the ground; the swing was a little low of him—or he was a little too big for it.

Gaara had turned to watch him when he'd sat down, his eyes following Raiden as he swung back and forth.

"What are you doing?" he asked, voice surprisingly soft, nothing like the gravelly rasp it had become when Raiden had first met him at the chunin exams so long ago.

"I'm swinging," Raiden answered simply, kicking his legs a little harder to get a bit more height. "It's fun! If you need a push to get going, I can help."

Gaara shook his head, eyes wide and still watching. Raiden shrugged. He wouldn't push it; no use in making him angry. He swung for a while longer, and Gaara started to make little kicks, managing to get the swing going at least. After a few more minutes, he'd managed to get going well enough that his hair would move at the speed, and as Raiden looked over he could spot a little smile on his face.

"You know, kid, why they all run away? Why they think you're a monster?"

Gaara's eyes snapped over to him, narrowing a bit. "Why?"

"It's because you have one inside you. When you were born, they stuck the monster inside you so you could hold it and protect them. But they forgot you were protecting them and got scared."

"So why aren't you scared, too?"

Raiden threw his head back and laughed. Mirth subsiding, he grinned at Gaara. "I've got a monster in me too."

Gaara's eyes widened. "You do?"

"Yeah. He's not really a monster, though, he just looks big and scary and is grumpy all the time. I'm pretty sure yours is too."

Gaara leaned toward him, eyes serious. "He talks to me and says scary things. And he's big like a monster."

Raiden winked. "He's just pretending. And if you want, I can make him less scary. Is that okay?"

Gaara frowned, then nodded.

"All right then. So the monster is inside you because they used a seal with chakra. I'm going to have to change the seal a little bit. And that's a little weird to do out here because it's on your shoulder. Do you have a place we can go to fix it?"

"Mhmm. Aneki and ani are training. Otou-san is busy. So I'm alone for now."

Well that was surprisingly easy. He followed Gaara back to the Kazekage's dwelling, careful to keep his chakra contained. It was a bit surreal to be there, actually, but he had a job to do.

"This is my room," Gaara said, leading him through a door on the side of the hallway. Raiden tagged the frame with a chakra barrier seal tag as he passed. Gaara then sat himself on the edge of the bed, looking expectantly up at Raiden. "How does the sealing work?"

"Hmmm, good question!" Raiden said. "That depends on how the seal works right now. If it's really bad I'll have to replace it. If not, I can add one on top. Number one will definitely hurt, number two might for just a few minutes. Okay kid?"

Gaara frowned, but nodded. He took off his scarf, and then his shirt, turning around so Raiden could see the seal. He inspected it quickly; the sooner he got this done the sooner he'd be out of the Kazekage's house. It would be interesting trying to explain the situation he was currently in without endangering a possible alliance.

Thankfully the seal wasn't mangled, just not powerful enough to fully contain Shukaku. He'd be able to slap another seal on there, giving a more control to Gaara. And it would be a _lot_ faster than having to replace the whole thing. It was only a three-point seal, so he'd have to use another odd-numbered seal to avoid disrupting Gaara's chakra completely. A five-point seal would be sufficient; seven would disable communication entirely and that also mean Gaara wouldn't able to access Shukaku's chakra, which he _didn't_ want. Would a five-element seal be too much? Probably, considering the already-existing seal. Just one, then…not earth or air because those were Shukaku's main elements, which left lightning, fire and water. Out of all of those, water would probably be best, having a very fluid nature and being less dangerous to Gaara than the other two.

He got out his ink and brush, adding a drop of his own blood as well as a drop of Gaara's—a flare of Isobu's chakra got Shukaku to drop the sand barrier for just a moment—and started painting characters on Gaara's back. Gaara flinched when he put on the first one.

"Something wrong?" Raiden asked.

"It's cold," Gaara complained. "Feels weird."

Raiden laughed and kept painting. "Try to hold still, it'll be over soon."

And after only about ten or so minutes all the characters had been painted and all that was left was the actual sealing.

"Okay kiddo. This is the part that will actually hurt."

"It's okay," Gaara said. "I'm ready."

Raiden was impressed at Gaara's resolve and activated the seal, infusing chakra into the characters and watching as they marched up and condensed into a black ring of glyphs around the original seal. Gaara's jaw tightened, his neck stiffening, and Raiden felt bad for him. He knew firsthand how much this kind of seal hurt but Gaara was holding it together remarkably well.

"Halfway there, kiddo," he said, as the last of the characters finally reached his back. They continued their slow march. "Almost there…almost done…."

The seal gave a bright flash, briefly heating up to an incredible temperature, and then abruptly cooled and darkened.

"All done," Raiden said, blinking against the floaty black spots in his vision.

Gaara let out a ragged breath. "Ow."

Raiden chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that. Can't really avoid it." He suddenly remembered something. "One more thing, though, about this seal. You can sleep now."

Gaara had been in the process of putting his shirt back on and his head now popper out of his sleeve. "I can sleep?"

"Yep. Night night. No more staring at the moon with itchy eyes all on your lonesome. I mean, you can if you _want_ to, but…"

Gaara's head reappeared as he fixed his shirt. "No way! I want to try sleeping!"

"If you say so," Raiden said. He pulled out a seal tag from his pocket, sticking it to Gaara's forehead. A quick chakra flare, and the kid was out cold. He needed to talk to Shukaku, after all.

Leaving Gaara drooling on his bed, Raiden retrieved the barrier tag and walked out, over to his own room. He needed sleep as well.

* * *

Morning in Suna dawned bright and early, it being a desert and all. He wished he could have slept a little longer, but he had the first meeting with the Kazekage today, and it was better to be up a little early rather than a little late.

Didn't stop him from complaining mentally though.

Despite the early hour he rose and got ready for the day ahead, collecting all his stuff and making himself presentable. And then headed toward the administration building, which he always thought had looked rather odd with its spherical top floors.

The guards checked him at the door but he passed whatever requirements they had quickly enough and he was let into the building and led up to the very top, to a room with walls of windows, enabling a view of the entire town.

He'd only been there a few minutes when the Kazekage entered the room.

"What brings you here on such short notice?" he asked, bluntly. That was refreshing.

"I have information you might want," Raiden returned, just as blunt. "About a group hunting bijuu. Several missing-nin, all S-class or above. I've written all I know in this scroll."

He held it out for the Kazekage to take, but the man didn't move. Raiden set it on the table.

"I've also come for possible alliance."

At this Rasa had a visible reaction; before he'd likely been maintaining a more controlled posture because of the sensitivity of the information and the trust being shown. Alliance was another kettle of fish entirely.

"Alliance? With Amegakure? And why should I desire such a thing?"

"Well, for one—I did just present to you highly confidential information—"

"Information that is not relevant for you, as Amegakure does not currently hold any of the bijuu."

"I hate to correct you, sir, but we have recently acquired one conditionally. That aside, the information written in that scroll is relevant to every person, not just those nations with jinchuuriki. Amegakure is a stable country, now, with tentative agreements or alliances in the works with major powers."

"I'd known about Hanzou's defeat for nearly a year now. Tell me, how has Amegakure been recovering from the recent attack?"

Raiden gritted his teeth, then consciously made an effort to relax each one of his muscles. "Amegakure is well on her way to full capacity. We have incredible shinobi and jutsu, though they are still few. What we also have, are an amazing wealth of resources, natural and from trading."

"Suppose I consider it. What would you gain from us?"

"Assurance of safety, or at least security on our border with you. And that, in all honesty, is worth much to our people; in the past our land has been ravaged by war between the three great nations that surround us. In addition, possibilities include medical knowledge or plants, and possibly aid in the case of an enemy nation's attack."

"That is much to ask, young shinobi."

"As I said, the only term of agreement we require from you is non-aggression."

"Suitable, if Amegakure promises the same. As well as some modifications to select tariffs."

Victory!

"I admit I have reached the limit of my jurisdiction here, Kazekage-sama. My purposes were to ensure you received that information as well as to determine if you were amenable to an alliance. I do not have full authority to change trade agreements. I will inform my leaders of this meeting in due haste."

The Kazekage muttered something, probably insulting. Nevertheless, he waved Raiden out and to be honest, that felt like a major victory. He'd fixed Gaara's seal, gotten Rasa to consider an alliance, and finished warning the last of the jinchuuriki nations about the neo-Akatsuki. And he hadn't gotten killed on the job.

Before he left he checked up on Gaara one last time. Kid was still sleeping, though lighter than before.

With a start, Raiden remembered he'd never actually introduced himself. Chuckling briefly, he scribbled a short note on a scrap of paper and stuck it under Gaara's pillow. He'd find it eventually.

For now, though, it was time to finally head home. Once out of the village he set his sights to the northeast and set off for Amegakure.

* * *

The rain was blessedly cool after the dry heat in Kaze no Kuni and it was with great joy he splashed through the puddles on the street. Helped wash away the last grains of sand that managed to stay in his sandals, scraping the sides of his feet.

There was just something remarkably freeing about being soaked to the bone by rain. You stopped being annoyed and just went with it, figuring there wasn't any possible way to get wetter. And it was _fun_.

He arrived at the gates within the hour.

"How goes gate duty?" he called, amused; the men were only half-heartedly attempting to avoid the rain, instead cracking jokes and keeping an eye out on the road. A familiar face greeted him.

"Uzumaki-san! Always a pleasure to see you!"

"Ah, you flatter me, Shin, see, I'm blushing!" He waved a hand in front of his face, as if he were a noblewoman with a fan. The men laughed.

"Mission went well then?" one of the others asked; Raiden didn't recognize him.

"Surprisingly so. Got a little more done than I bargained for," he confided. "Not sure if Nagato will be annoyed that I made more work for him or pleased at what I got us. Going to find out real soon, though."

The last bit started the men laughing and he grinned along with them; no matter how much he could get done by himself it was a lonely job with only himself and Isobu for company. But being with others he trusted, being able to have family and friends, people he trusted and could laugh with—that was what made life really worth it. That is what he lived and worked for.

After a few more minutes of conversation and laughing he headed in the city, greeting those he passed by and made his way up to the central tower, and then went up the tower itself, leaving a trail of small puddles in the shape of his sandals behind him.

It felt like only Konan and Yahiko were in the room so he made a point of knocking and waiting for a moment before entering, just in case. He'd enough embarrassing tidbits from Nagato to ensure the extra precaution.

Thankfully, they'd just been going over something business-related and he announced his presence.

"I'm back," he said, "mission accomplished and possible new treaty in the works."

Yahiko started laughing and Konan just shook her head.

"It's never boring when you're around, Raiden," she said. "Welcome home."

* * *

 **AN: I know I kind of did this earlier but seriously guys you all are awesome. Not gonna lie every time I saw a new follow/fav alert in my email I apologized to you for not being able to update…**

 **But here we are! Holidays are amazing and I've (almost) completely de-stressed and I actually have free time? What?**

 **(that's what allowed me to actually finish this chapter)**

 **Anyway! Updates should be back to the once a month again now.**


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